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13  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  MS80 

(716)  872-4503 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

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CIHIVI/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


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Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


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Couverture  endommagde 


Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurde  et/ou  pellicul6e 

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I I    Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

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Cartes  gdographiques  en  couleur 


Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 


I      I    Coloured  pages/ 


n 


v/ 


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0 


Pages  de  couleur 

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lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
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obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


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Ce  document  est  film6  au  taux  de  reduction  indiqu6  ci-dessous. 

18X  22X 


10X 


14X 


26X 


30X 


X 


12X 


lex 


20X 


24X 


28X 


37X 


Th«  copy  filmad  her*  has  b««n  raproduc^w  *hankt 
to  tha  ganarosity  of: 

Library  Division 

Provincial  Archives  of  British  Columbia 


L'examplaira  film4  fut  raproduit  grAca  A  la 
g^nArosIt*  da: 

Library  Division 

Provincial  Archives  of  British  Columbia 


Tha  imagas  appearing  hara  ara  tha  bast  quality 
possibia  conaidaring  tha  condition  and  lagibility 
of  tha  original  copy  and  in  kaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  apacifications. 


La*  imagas  suivantas  ont  At*  raproduitas  avac  la 
plus  grand  soin,  compta  tanu  da  la  condition  ''  t 
da  la  nattatA  da  I'axamplaira  filmA,  at  en 
conformity  avac  las  conditions  du  contrat  da 
filmaga. 


Original  copies  in  printed  pjper  covers  ara  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


Les  exemplairas  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimAe  sont  filmAs  en  commen^ant 
par  Iq  premier  plat  at  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
darnlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  emprainte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  la  second 
plat,  salon  la  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplairas 
originaux  sont  filmAs  en  commen^ant  par  la 
premiAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  at  en  terminant  par 
la  derniAre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symboi  —^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED "),  or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END 'I, 
whichever  applies. 


Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  chaque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  -^  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 


Meps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filnr:ed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
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required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
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LIFE 


y 


:/. 


.  OF 

//       *     '       /        '       • 


JQ.HN    LEDYARD, 


THE     AMERICAN     TRAVELLER 


BY 


JARED     SPARKS 


BOSTON: 
LITTLE,   BROWN   AND   COMPANY. 
1864 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1847,  by 

CaARLEi   C.    LlTTtK   AND  J  AMES    BRCWN, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  Di^strict  Court  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 


CONTENTS. 


Preface, 


Page. 
3 


47,  by 

laastvchusetts. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Birth  and  Parentage.  —  Early  Education.  — 
Enters  Dartmouth  College.  —  His  Fondness 
for  Theatrical  Exhibitions  while  at  College. — 
Travels  among  the  Indians  of  the  Six  Na^ 
tions.  —  His  Return  to  College.  —  Constructs 
a  Canoe,  and  descends  the  Connecticut  River 
in  it  alone  to  Hartford.  —  Dangers  of  the 
Passage.  —  His  Enterprise  compared  to  thai 
of  Mango  Park  on  the  Niger 


CHAPTER  n. 

Commences  the  Study  of  Theology.  —  Visits  sev- 
eral Clergymen  on  Long  Island.  —  Returns 
to  Connecticut.  —  Abandons  his  Purpose  of 
studying  Divinity.  —  Sails  from  New  London 
on  a  Voyage  to  Gibraltar.  —  Enlists  there  as 
a  Soldier  into  the  regular  Service.  —  Released. 


187484 


VI 


CONTENTS. 


—  Returns  Home  hy  Way  of  the  Barhary 
Coast  and  the  West  Indies%  —  Sails  from 
New  York  to  Ensland.  —  Enlists  in  the  na- 
val  Service.  —  Embarks  with  Captain  Cook 
on  his  last   Voyage  round  the   World.  .     .     . 


00 


CHAPTER  III. 

Sails  for  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope^  and  thence 
to  New  Holland  ,and  New  Zealand.  —  Man' 
ners  and  Peculiarities  of  the  People.  —  Omai^ 
the  Otahcitan.  —  Departs  from  New  Zealand^ 
and  visits  newly  discovered  Islands,  —  Arri- 
val  at  the  Friendly  Islands.  —  People  of  Ton- 
gatnhoo.  —  Ledyard  passes  a  Night  with  the 
King.  —  Character  and  Habits  of  the  Natives. 
—  Their  Propensity  to  Thieving.  —  Depart- 
ure from   Tongataboo 51 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Society  Islands.  —  Otaheite.  —  Language,  Cus- 
toms, Religion,  Laws,  and  Government  of  the 
Natives.  —  Sandwich  Islands  discovered.  — 
Nootka  Sound.  —  Cayinibalism.  —  Origin  and 
Practice  of  Sacrifices.  —  Bering's  Sfniit.  — 
Cook  sends  Ledyard  with  two  Indians  in 
Search  of  a  Russian  Establishment.  —  Re- 
turns  to  the  Ships,  and  reports  to  Captain 
Cook.  —  Sails  to  the  Sandwich  Islands.     .    . 


83 


*•  rr; 


Ai(iirjir 


% 

C. 


.    1 


^ 


CONTENTS. 


rU 


00 


CHAPTER  V. 

Cook  arrives  again  at  the  Sandwich  Islands.-^ 
The  Natives  show  Symptoms  of  Uneasiness.  — 
Cook  departs  f  hut  is  compelled  by  a  Storm  to 
return.  —  Natives  receive  him  coldly.  —  Is  at- 
tacked and  killed.  —  Ledyard^s  Description  of 
the  Event.  —  Expedition  sails  for  Kamtschat- 
ka,  and  returns  to  England,  —  Ledyard^s 
Opinions  respecting  the  first  Peopling  of  the 
South  Sea  Islands 120 


61 


4 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Ledyard  returns  to  America.  —  Interview  with 
his  Mother. —  Writes  his  Journal  of  Cook's 
Voyage.  —  Visits  New  York,  Philadelphia, 
and  Boston.  —  Plans  a  Voyage  to  the  North- 
west  Coast.  —  Failure  of  the  Enterprise.  — 
Was  the  first  to  propose  such  a  Voyage.  — 
Sails  for  Cadiz ;  thence:  to  V  Orient.  —  Goes 
to  Paris 166 


in 
Re-      ^ 
tain 
.    .    83 


CHAPTER    Vn. 

Meets  with  Mr.  Jefferson  at  Paris.  —  Project 
of  a  Voyage  to  the  Northwest  Coast  with 
Paul  Jonesn  —  Jefferson  and  Lafayette.  — 
Ledyard  proposes  a  Journey  through  Russia 
and  Siberia  to  Bering's  Strait.  —  Observations 
in  Paris.  —  Proceeds  to  London.  —  Sir  Joseph 


■  \    .'■ 


VUl 


CONTENTS. 


Banks  and  other  Gentlemen  contribute  Funds 

to  aid  him  in  his    Travels 201 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Ledyard  proceeds  to  Hamburg ;  thence  to  Copen- 
hagen  and  Stockholm.  —  Journey  round  the 
Gulf  of  Bothnia.  —  Arrives  at  Petersburg.  — 
Procures  a  Passport  from  the  Empress. — 
Sets  out  for  Siberia.  —  Crosses  the  Uralian 
Mountains.  —  Descriptions  of  the  Country  and 
the  Inhabitants.  —  Arrives  at  Irkutsk.      .     . 


233 


i 


'V,   V 


CHAPTER   IX. 

Residence  at  Irkutsk.  —  Account  of  the  Tar' 
tars.  —  Pur  Trade  on  the  American  Coast. — 
Lake  Baikal.  —  Leaves  Irkutsk  for  the  Rivet 
Lena.  —  Scenery  around  the  Baikal.  —  Esti' 
mate  of  the  Number  of  Rivers  in  Siberia.  — 
Proceeds  down  the  Lena  in  a  Bateau.  —  IIoS' 
pitality  of  the  Inhabitants:  —  Ends  his  Voy- 
age at  Yakutsk 271 


CHAPTER  X. 

Interview  with  the  Commandant  of  Yakutsk. — 
Detained  under  false  Pretences.  —  The  Ycb- 
kuti  Tartars.  —  Influence  of  Religion  upon 
them.  —  Peculiarities  of  Features  in  the  Tar- 
tar  Countenance.  —  Difficulty  of  taking  Fo- 
cabularies  of  unknown   Languages.  —  Classi' 


I 


CON  TENTS 


IX 


.   201 


Jicntion  of  the  Tartars  and  North  American 
Indians.  —  Causes  of  the  Difference  of  Color 
in  the  Human  Race.  —  Tartars  and  Amer- 
ican Indians  the  same  People 295 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Climate  in  Siberia.  —  Parti  ulars  concerning 
that  Country. — Ltdyard's  celebrated  Eulogy 
on  Women.  —  Captain  Billings-  meets  him  at 
Yakutsk.  —  Bering's  Discovery.  —  Russian 
Voyages.  —  Russian  Pur  Trade.  —  Billings's 
Expedition.  —  His  Instructions 392 


.  271 


I 


CHAPTER    CII. 

Ledyard  returns  to  Irnutsk.  —  Is  seized  by  Or- 
der  of  the  Empress  ^  and  hurried  off  in  the 
Charge  of  two  Guards.  —  Returns  through 
Siberia  to  Kazan.  —  Purther  Observations  on 
the  Tartars.  —  Passes  Moscow,  and  arrives 
in  Poland.  —  Proceeds  to  KorJgsberg,  and 
thence  to  London.  —  Inquiry  into  the  Motives 
of  the  Empress.  —  Her  Declaration  to  Count 
Segur.  —  Lafayette's  Remark  on  her  Conduct.  363 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Interview  with  Sir  Joseph  Banks  in  London.^-' 
I        Engages  to  travel  in  jtfrica  under  the  Aus- 
pices of  the  African  Association.  —  Remark' 
able  Instance  of  Decision   of  Character, — 


■-    I 


X  CONTENTS. 

Letter  to  his  Mother.  —  Visits  Mr.  Jefferson 
and  Lafayette  in  Paris.  —  Sails  from  Mar- 
seilles  to  Alexandria  in  Egypt.  —  Arrives  in 
Cairo.  372 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Interview  with  the  Aga.  —  Observations  on  the 
Customs  of  the  Arabs. — Information  respect- 
ing the  Interior  of  Africa.  —  Visit  to  the 
Caravans  and  Slave  Markets.  —  Reflections 
on  his  Condition  and  Prospects.  —  His  last 
juetter  to  Mr.  Jefferson.  —  Joins  a  Caravan, 
and  prepares  to  depart  for  Sennaar.  —  Taken 
suddenly  ill.  —  His  Death.  —  His  Person 
and  Character, 396 


I 


-  \ 


ferson 
Mar- 
ves  in 
.    .  372 


^ 


m  the 
'spect- 
lo  the 
xtions 
's  last 
"avan, 
Taken 
^erson 
.    .  396 


LIFE 


OF 


JOHN     L  E  D  Y  A  R  D 


vol,.     XIV. 


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4 


PREFACE 


TO    THE    FIRST    EDITION. 


.■qf 


Not  long  after  the  death  of  John  Ledyard, 
the  traveller,  some  progress  was  made  in  col- 
lecting materials  for  an  account  of  his  life  by 
his  relative,  Dr.  Isaac  Ledyard,  of  Ne*.  York. 
The  biographer's  task  was  never  begun,  how- 
ever, and  the  project  was  abandoned;  but  the 
papers  procured  for  the  purpose  have  been  pre- 
served by  the  family  of  Dr.  Ledyard,  and  have 
furnished  the  facts  for  much  the  larger  portion 
of  the  present  narrative.  Researches  have  also 
been  made  in  other  quarters,  and  important 
original  letters  obtained.  Particular  acknowl- 
edgment is  due  to  Mr.  Henry  Seymour,  of 
Hartford,  Connecticut,  for  the  aid  he  has  ren- 
dered in  this  respect.  All  the  papers  that  have 
been  used  are  entitled  to  the  credit  of  unques- 
tionable  authenticity. 

Wherever  it  could  be  done,  without  deviat- 
ing too  much  from  a  regular  and  proportionate 
train  of  events,  the  traveller  has  been  allowed 
to  speak  for  himself.    His  manner  of  thinking, 


I  ' 


PREFACE 


1  M  i 


as  well  as  of  acting,  was  so  peculiar,  that  a 
true  picture  of  his  mind  and  genius,  his  mo- 
tives and  feelings,  could  not  be  exhibited  in 
any  other  way  with  so  much  distinctness,  as 
through  the  medium  of  his  own  language. 
Free  and  full  selections  from  his  manuscript 
Letters  and  Journals  are  interspersed.  His  in- 
cessant activity,  want  of  leisure,  and  few  op- 
portunities of  practising  composition  as  an  art, 
afford  an  apology  for  the  imperfections  of  his 
style,  which  the  candid  reader  will  regard  •in 
the  favorable  light  it  deserves.  His  diction  is 
never  polished,  and  his  words  are  not  always 
well  ohosen ;  but  his  ideas  are  often  original, 
copious,  well  combined,  and  forcibly  expressed. 
In  executing  this  work,  the  only  aim  has 
been  to  bring  together  a  series  of  facts,  which 
should  do  justice  to  the  fame  and  character 
of  a  man,  who  possessed  qualities  and*  per- 
formed deedS;  that  rendered  him  remarkable, 
and  are  worthy  of  being  remembered.  If  the 
author  has  been  successful  in  this  attempt,  he 
is  rewarded  for  the  labor  it  has  cost  him. 


i 


M 


I 
I 


October,  1827. 


Soon  after  the  fjr«rt    publication  of  this  Me- 
moir, it  was  ascertained  that  a  portrait  of  Led- 


I 


^*^»^ 
^ 


PREFACE. 


r,  that   a 
his   mo- 
libited   in 
ctness,  as 
language, 
lanuscript 
His  in- 
1  few  op- 
as  an  art, 
lis   of  his 
regard  *  in 
diction  is 
ot  always 
I   original, 
expressed. 
'  aim   has 
cts,  which 
character 
and'  per- 
emarkable, 
d.     If  the 
ttempt,  he 
,  him. 


yard  existed  in  Stockholm,  painted  by  Breda, 
ail  artist  of  celebrity,  who  had  known  Led- 
yard  in  London.  The  picture  was  seen  at 
Stockholm,  by  an  American  traveller,  in  pos- 
I  session  of  the  artist,  who  was  then  far  ad- 
I  vanced  in  life.  It  is  doubtless  the  same  that 
is  mentioned  by  Ledyard  as  his  "Swedish 
portrait,"  and  which  he  pronounces  to  be  "not 
only  a  perfect  likeness,  but  a  good  painting." 
An  effort  was  immediately  made  to  procure 
this  picture,  or  a  copy ;  but,  on  inquiry,  it  was 
found  that  the  artist  had  died,  his  pictures  had 
been  sold  and  dispersed,  and  no  one  could  tell 
into  whose  hands  this  portrait  had  fallen.  It 
is  therefore  probably  lost  to  the  world,  as  few 
i  persons  now  living  could  identify  it. 


f  this  Me- 
ait  of  Led- 


1^ 

,1 1' 


* 


*   , 


■  :i  ■ 


m 
■''it 


ffl 


I  'I 

i 
j 


JOHN    LEDYARD. 


CHAPTER  I. 


I 

i 


Birth  and  Parentage.  —  Early  Education.  —  En' 
ters  Dartmouth    College.  —  His   Fondness  for 

'  Theatrical  Exhibitions  while  at  College.  — 
Travels  among  the  Indians  of  the  Six  Na- 
tions. —  His  Return  to  College.  —  Constructs 
a  Canoe,  and  descends  the  Connecticut  River 
in  it  alone  to  Hartford.  —  Dangtr*  of  the 
Passage. —His  Enterprise  compared  to  that 
of  Mungo  Park  on  the  Niger. 

John  Ledtard,  the  celebrated  traveller,  was 
born  in  the  year  1751,  at  Groton,  in  Connecti- 
cut, a  small  village  on  the  bank  of  the  River 
Thames,  opposite  to  New  London.  The  place 
of  his  birth  is  but  a  few  hundred  yards  from 
Fort  Griswold,  so  well  known  in  the  history 
of  the  American  revolution. 

His  grandfather,  named  also  John  Ledyard, 
came  in  early  life  to  America,  and   settled   at 


8 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


■!    !  I 
i"!  ! 


i     ! 


Southold,  Long  Island,  as  a  small  trader  in 
dry  goods.  He  was  a  native  of  Bristol,  Eng- 
land, and  had  been  bred  a  merchant  in  Lon- 
don. Being  prosperous  in  business  at  South- 
old,  he  was  soon  married  to  a  lady  of  amiable 
qualities  and  good  fortune,  the  daughter  of 
Judge  Young,  a  gentleman  of  character  and 
influence  in  that  place.  From  Southold  he 
removed  to  Groton,  where  he  purchased  an 
dstate,  and  resided  many  years.  He  had  ten 
children,  and  after  the  death  of  his  wife  he 
removed  to  Hartford,  in  Connecticut,  and  there 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  For  his  sec- 
ond wife  he  married  Mrs.  Ellery,  a  respectable 
widow  lady  of  Boston. 

To  his  eldest  son,  who  had  the  same  name 
as  himself,  he  gave  the  estate  at  Groton.  He 
was  a  sea  captain,  engaged  in  the  West  India 
trade,  a  man  of  sound  understanding,  vigorous 
constitution,  and  industrious  habits.  But  he 
died  at  the  age  of  thirty-five,  leaving  a  widow 
and  four  children,  three  sons  and  one  daughter, 
of  whom  the  subject  of  this  memoir  was  the 
eldest.  Colonel  William  Ledyard,  the  brave 
commander  in  the  memorable  action  of  Fort 
Griswold,  who  was  barbarously  slain  after  the 
capitulation,  was  the  second  son. 

It  thus  appears  that  John  Ledyard,  the  trav- 
eller, was  the  third  of  that  name  in  lineal  de- 


I 

1 


I 


I     ; 

'   I' 


t^ 


"^ 


JOHN     L  E  D  Y  A  11 D  . 


9 


rader   in 
ol,  Eng- 

in  Lon- 
Soiith- 

amiable 
filter  of 
cter  and 
thold  he 
liased   an 

had    ten 

wife   he 
md  there 

his  seo- 
spectable 

ime  name 
(ton.  He 
''est  India 
,  vigorous 
But  he 
;  a  widow 

daughter, 
•  was  the 
the  brave 
1  of  Fort 

after   tbe 

,  the  trav- 
lineal  de- 


scent. His  mother,  who  was  the  daughter  of 
Robert  Hempsted,  of  Southold,  has  been  de- 
scribed as  a  lady  of  many  excellences  of  mind 
and  character,  beautiful  in  person,  well  in- 
formed, resolute,  generous,  amiable,  kind,  and, 
above  all,  eminent  for  piety  and  the  religious 
virtues.  Such  a  mother  is  the  best  gift  of 
Heaven  to  a  family  of  helpless  young  children. 
In  the  present  instance,  all  her  courage  and 
all  her  strength  of  character  were  necessary, 
to  carry  her  through  the  duties  and  trials 
which  devolved  upon  her.  The  small  estate, 
which  had  belonged  to  her  husband  in  Groton, 
was,  by  some  strange  neglect  of  her  friends, 
or  criminal  fraud  never  yet  explained,  taken 
from  her  soon  after  his  death.  During  a  visit 
to  Long  Island,  the  deed,  which  she  had  left 
with  a  confidential  person,  disappeared.  As 
this  deed  was  the  only  evidence  of  her  title 
to  the  property,  and  her  claim  could  not  be 
substantiated  without  it,  the  whole  reverted  to 
its  former  owner,  her  husband's  father,  who 
was  still  living.  The  particulars  of  this  trans- 
action are  not  now  known,  nor  is  it  necessary 
to  inquire  into  them.  It  is  enough  to  state 
the  fact  that  such  an  event  occurred,  and  thai 
tKe  widowed  mother  with  four  infant  children 
was  thus  thrown  destitute  upon  the  world.  In 
this   condition   she    and   her  children   repaired 


I    I' 


l'"l 


r 


i:.' 


'  .1, 


"•li' 


iU 


^ll< 


i  'I 

■1:1' 


m 


10 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


to  the  house  of  her  father  in  Sonthold,  where 
they  found  protection  and  support.  The  es- 
tate at  Groton  afterwards  fell  into  the  hands 
of  Colonel  William  Ledyard. 

It  may  be  supposed  that  misfortune  did  not 
weaken  her  parental  solicitude,  nor  make  her 
neglectful  of  her  liigh  trust.  The  education 
of  her  children  was  the  absorbing  object  of 
her  thoughts  and  exertions.  Her  eldest  sou 
was  now  of  an  age  to  receive  impressions,  that 
would  become  deeply  wrought  into  his  mind, 
and  give  a  decided  bias  to  his  future  charac- 
ter. In  the  marked  features  of  his  eventful 
life,  eccentric  and  extraordinary  as  it  was,  full 
of  temptations,  crosses,  and  sufferings,  may  often 
be  traced  lineaments  of  virtues,  and  good  im- 
pulses, justly  referred  to  such  a  source,  to  the 
early  cares  and  counsels  of  a  judicious,  sensi- 
ble, and  pious  mother.  Nor  were  these  coun- 
sels scattered  in  a  vacant  mind,  nor  these  cares 
wasted  on  a  cold  heart ;  in  his  severest  disap- 
pointments and  privations,  in  whatever  clime 
or  among  whatever  people,  whether  contending 
with  the  fierce  snows  of  Siberia  or  the  burn- 
ing sands  of  Africa,  the  image  of  his  rnother 
always  came  with  a  beam  of  joy  to  his  soul, 
and  was  cherished  there  with  delight.  Such 
of  his  letters  to  her  as  have  been  preser"'?d 
are  written   with    a   tenderness   of  filial  aftec- 


1 


I 


.,  f '!' 


">■ 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


11 


i,  where 
rhe  es- 
3   hands 

did  not 
ake  her 
iucation 
)ject  of 
lest  sou 
Dns,  that 
s  mind, 
charac- 
eventful 
vas,  full 
ay  often 
Dod  im- 
,  to  the 
s,  sensi- 
se  coun- 
se  cares 
It  disap- 
;r  clime 
itending 
le  burn- 
mother 
his  soul, 
.  Such 
>reser"-?d 
al  aftec- 


1 


M 


1 
;=?; 


M 


M 


tion,  that  could  flow  only  from  an  acute  sen- 
sibility and  a  good   heart. 

A  few  years  after  leaving  Groton,  and  set- 
tling at  Southold,  Mrs.  Ledyard  was  married 
to  a  second  husband,  Dr.  Moore,  qf  the  latter 
place.  At  this  time  her  son  John  was  taken 
into  the  family  of  his  grandfather  at  Hartford, 
who,  from  tliat  period,  seems  to  have  consid- 
ered him  as  wholly  under  his  charge.  Tra- 
dition tells  of  peculiarities  in  his  manners  and 
habits  at  this  early  age,  of  acts  indicating  the 
bent  of  his  genius,  and  the  romantic  disposi- 
tion that  gave  celebrity  to  his  after  life.  But 
no  recoixi  of  his  schoolboy  adventures  has 
come  down  to  us,  and  we  are  left  to  conjec- 
ture in  what  manner  the  wild  spirits  of  a 
youth  like  his  would  exhibit  themselves.  He 
attended  the  grammar  school  in  Hartford,  it  is 
to  be  presumed,  with  commendable  proficiency, 
since  he  was  at  first  designed  for  the  profes- 
sion of  the  law.  Several  months  were  passed 
by  him  as  a  student  in  the  office  of  Mr. 
Thomas  Seymour,  a  respectable  lawyer  of  that 
place,  who  had  married  his  aunt. 

Meantime  his  grandfather  died,  and  Mr.  Sey- 
mour became  his  guardian,  and  took  him  to 
his  own  house.  Whether  Ledyard  turned  his 
thoughts  to  the  law  by  his  voluntary  choice, 
or  by  the   advice   and  wishes   of   his   friends, 


'III 


'  'I 


i 


h 


vl 


li: 


II 


I' I'll 


12 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAFIir. 


who  desired  to  quiet  his  temper,  by  fixing 
him  in  some  settled  pursuit,  is  not  related ; 
most  probably  the  latter,  for  it  was  soon  man- 
ifest, that  neither  the  protouud  wisdom,  the 
abstruse  learning,  nor  the  golden  promises  of 
the  law,  had  any  charms  lor  him.  It  was  de- 
cided without  reluctance  on  his  part,  therefore, 
that  he  should  leave  the  path,  which  he  had 
found  so  intricate,  and  in  which  he  had  made 
so  little  progress,  and  enter  upon  one  more 
congenial  to  his  inclination,  and  presenting  ob- 
jects more  attractive  to  his  taste  and  fancy. 

Here  was  a  difficult  point  to  be  determined. 
The  pursiut,  which  would  accord  best  with 
the  propensities,  temperament,  and  wishes  of 
John  Ledyard,  and  best  promote  his  future 
usefulness  and  success,  was  a  tiling  not  to  be 
decided,  even  at  that  time  of  his  life,  by  the 
common  rules  of  judging  in  such  cases ;  it 
was  a  preliminary,  which  no  one  probably 
would  have  been  more  perplexed  than  him- 
self to  establish.  Never  was  he  accustomed 
to  look  forward  with  unwavering  predilections, 
to  prepare  for  contingencies,  or  to  mark  out  a 
course  from  which  he  would  not  stray.  To 
be  seeking  some  distant  object,  imposing  and 
attractive  in  his  own  conceptions,  and  to  move 
towards  it  on  the  tide  of  circumstances, 
through  perils  and  difficulties,  was  among  the 


^'i 


•I 


J0 


*? 


JOHN     liEDYARD 


13 


fixing 
elated ; 
I  maii- 
m,  the 
ses   of 
v^as  de- 
erefore, 
he  had 
i  made 
3    more 
ing  ob- 
ticy. 
rmined. 
st    with 
hes   of 
future 
to   be 
by  the 
.ses  ;    it 
robably 
ti    him- 
istomed 
ections, 
c  out  a 
To 
ng   and 
o  move 
stances, 
)ng  the 


■V' 

?.■ 


chief  pleasures  of  his  existence.  On  enter- 
prises, in  which  no  obstacles  were  to  be  en- 
countered, no  chances  to  be  run,  no  disappoint- 
ments to  be  apprehended,  no  rewards  of  haz- 
ardous adventure  to  be  looked  for,  he  bestowed 
not  a  thought ;  but  let  a  project  be  started, 
thickly  beset  with  dangers,  and  promising  suc- 
cess only  through  toils  and  sufferings,  deeds  of 
courage,  and  the  resolute  efforts  of  an  untiring 
spirit,  and  not  a  man  would  grasp  at  it  so 
eagerly,  or  pursue  it  with  so  much  intenseness 
of  purpose.  The  wholesome  maxim  of  pro- 
viding for  the  morrow  rarely  found  a  place  in 
his  ethics  or  his  practice ;  and  as  he  never 
allowed  himself  to  anticipate  misfortunes,  so 
he  never  took  any  pains  to  guard  against 
them. 

He  was  now, at  the  age  of  nineteen,  with 
very  narrow  means,  few  friends,  and  no  defi- 
nite prospects.  In  this  state  of  his  affairs,  as 
it  was  necessary  for  something  to  be  done,  he 
was  compelled  to  look  around  him,  and  for  a 
moment  to  exercise  that  foresight,  which  the 
tenor  of  his  life  proves  him  to  have  been  so 
reluctant  on  most  occasions  to  call  to  his  aid. 
And,  after  all,  he  was  more  indebted  to  acci- 
dent, than  to  his  own  deliberations,  for  the 
immediate  event^^  that  awaited  him.  Dr. 
Wheelock,  the  amiable  and   pious  "  founder   of 


lii 


■I     ;,    I 


''ll! 


8. 


il 


t;: 


14 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY, 


Dartmouth  College,  had  been  the  intimate 
friend  of  his  graiidfather ;  and  prompted  by 
the  remembrance  of  this  tie,  he  invited  Led- 
yard  to  enter  his  institution,  recently  estab- 
lished at  Hanover,  New  Hampshire,  amidst  the 
forests  on  the  banks  of  the  Connecticut  River. 
This  offer  was  accepted,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1772,  he  took  up  his  residence  at  this  new 
seat  of  learning,  with  the  apparent  intention 
of  qualifying  himself  to  become  a  missionary 
among  the  Indians. 

His  mother's  wishes  and  advice  had  proba- 
bly much  influence  in  guiding  him  to  this 
resolution.  In  accordance  with  the  religious 
spirit  of  that  day,  she  felt  a  strong  compassion 
for  the  deplorable  state  of  the  Indians,  and  it 
was  among  her  earliest  and  fondest  hopes  of 
this  her  favorite  son,  that,  he  would  be  edu- 
cated as  a  missionary,  and  become  an  approved 
instrument  in  the  hands  of  Providence  to 
bring  these  degraded  and  suffering  heathen  to 
a  knowledge  of  a  pure  religion,  and  the  bless- 
ings of  civilized  life.  When  she  saw  this 
door  opened  for  the  realizing  of  her  hopes, 
and  her  son  placed  under  the  charge  of  the 
most  eminent  laborer  of  his  (Jay  in  the  cause 
of  the  Indians,  her  joy  was  complete. 

From  the  first  settlement  of  the  country 
much    zeal    and    much    disinterested    philan- 


1% 


M 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


15 


intimate 
pted  by 
3d  Led- 
■f  estab- 
lidst  the 
It  River. 
)ring  of 
his  new- 
intention 
issionary 

i  proba- 
to  this 
religious 
mpassion 
3,  and  it 
lopes  of 
be  edu- 
approved 
ence  to 
at  hen  to 
liQ  bless- 
saw  this 
ir  hopes, 
3  of  the 
he  cause 

country 
philan- 


thropy have  been  exercised,  in  attempts  to 
convert  the  Indians  to  Christianity,  and  induce 
them  to  adopt  the  manners  and  participate 
the  comforts  of  civilized  men.  Eliot  (rightly 
named  the  Apostle  to  the  Indians)  and  the 
May  hews  are  entitled  to  the  praises,  which 
succeeding  times  have  bestowed  on  them ; 
and  the  eiforts  of  the  Society  in  Great  Brit- 
ain for  Propagating  the  Gospel  in  Foreign 
Parts,  were  prompted  by  motives  of  the  no- 
blest kind,  and  were  bestowed  with  an  ardor 
and  with  sacrifices,  that  demand  a  generous 
tribute  from  the  pen  of  history,  and  the  grate- 
ful remembrance  of  posterity.  For  many  years 
little  had  been  done,  however,  till  the  popular 
talents  and  fervent  zeal  of  David  Brainerd 
caused  the  journals  of  his  missionary  tours  to 
be  read  throughout  the  country,  his  labors  ap- 
plauded, and  his  success  regarded  as  an  evi- 
lence  of  the  great  w-crk,  that  might  be 
wrought  by  the   proper  use  of  means. 

About  this  time  the  Reverend  Eleazer 
Wheelock,  who  was  then  a  settled  clergyman 
in  Lebanon,  Connecticut,  formed  the  scheme 
of  an  Indian  School,  which  should  have  the 
double  object  of  preparing  young  preachers  for 
tl^e  missionary  field,  and  of  educating  Indian 
youth,  who  should  return  to  their  tribes,  and 
become    teachers    among    their    own     people. 


IN 


II: 


rl: 

m 


I'!,'' 


W. 


il 


I; 


M" 

I  ' 

.  mi' 

'.  ]\. 

,   "II, 

:  '!''•■  i  ■ 

'  ''"!,| 

i  w 

m ; 


16 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


Without    show    or   ostentation,    Dr.    Wheelock 
commenced  the  school  at  his  own  house,  and 


almost   at    his   own    charge. 


He  began  with 


two  pupils,  one  of  whom  was  Sampson  Ce- 
cum, an  Indian  of  the  Mohegan  tribe,  after- 
wards so  much  celebrated  as  a  preacher,  and 
for  his  instructions  to  the  Indians.  The 
school,  gradually  increased,  and  so  benevolent 
an  undertaking,  pursued  with  such  singleness 
of  purpose,  could  not  fail  to  attract  public  no- 
tice and  approbation.  He  was  aided  by  con- 
tributions from  individuals,  and  the  province  of 
Massachusetts  voted  to  pay,  for  a  certain  time, 
the  expense  of  educating  six  Indian  children. 
Mr.  Joshua  Moor,  who  owned  lands  in  Leba- 
non, gave  a  portion  of  them  for  the  benefit  of 
this  school ;  and  from  this  circumstance  the 
seminary  for  the  education  of  Indian  boys, 
afterwards  attached  to  Dartmouth  College,  was 
called  Maoris  Indian  School. 

But  Dr.  Wheelock  still  found,  that  pupils 
from  the  forest  flocked  to  him  faster  than  he 
could  provide  for  them.  He  thought  it  now 
time  to  adopt  the  expedient  of  sending  to 
England,  and  soliciting  assistance  from  the 
wealthy  and  charitable  on  the  other  side  of 
the  water.  For  this  object,  Sampson  Cecum 
and  another  cieigyman  were  sent  out  as 
agents,   furnished    with    testimonials    of    their 


A 


'"% 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


17 


^eelock 

ise,  and 

% 

n  with 

i 

on    Oc- 

f 

,   after- 

■* 

er,  and 
The 

■1 

levolent 

igleness 

blic  no- 

)y  con- 

dnce  of 

•  ■ 

in  time, 

'/ 

hildren. 

;    ( 

I    Leba- 

nefit  of 

nee   the 

A 

1    boys, 

;ge,  was 

"'■r. 

t   pupils 

%. 

than   he 

it  now 

ding    to 

om    the 

side   of 

Occum 

out    as 
Df    their 

i 

character,  and  certificates  of  approbation  from 
eminent  persons  in  the  colonies.  Occum  was 
looked  upon  as  a  wonder  in  England.  He 
was  the  first  Indian  preacher  from  North 
America,  that  had  ever  been  seen  in  the  Old 
World;  wherever  he  went  crowds  ga.hered 
around  him,  and  it  has  been  the  lot  of  few 
speakers  to  address  audiences  so  thronged.  A 
North  American  Indian  in  a  pulpit,  eloquently 
preaching  in  the  English  tongue,  was  a  phe- 
nomenon too  nearly  miraculous  to  pass  un- 
seen or  unheard.  It  was  said,  moreover,  that 
he  exhibited  in  his  person  and  character  a 
practical  example  of  what  might  be  done  with 
Indians,  when  fairly  brought  under  the  influ- 
ence of  instruction. 

All  this  was  highly  favorable  to  the  great 
ends  of  the  mission,  and  in  a  few  months  a 
subscription  was  obtained,  and  money  paid  to 
the  amount  of  nearly  ten  thousand  pounds. 
The  King  gave  two  hundred  pounds,  and  sev- 
eral gentlemen  one  hundred  each.  The  mon- 
ey was  deposited  in  the  hands  of  trustees  in 
England,  and  drawn  out  as  occasion  required. 
With  this  addition  to  his  resources.  Dr.  Whee- 
lock  began  to  think  of  enlarging  the  plan  of 
his  S(3hool,  and  removing  nearer  to  the  fron- 
tiers, both  to  diminish  the  expcr.se  of  living, 
and   to  be  nearer  the  Indians.     After  examin- 


VOL.    XIV. 


if! 

nii'i 

m 


r  ■ 


-ft  I 

.ffi;    : 


m 


I  > 


18 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


ing  several  situations,  he  selected  Hanover, 
then  almost  a  wilderness,  to  which  place  he 
removed  in  1773,  cut  away  the  trees,  and 
erected  the  institution,  which  he  called  Dari- 
'  mouth  College,  in  honor  of  Lord  Dartmouth, 
who  had '  manifested  zeal  and  liberality  in  col- 
lecting the  Indian   fund  in  England. 

To  this  college,  about  two  years  after  it  was 
founded,  Ledyard  resorted,  to  prepare  himself 
for  the  arduous  office  of  a  missionary  among 
the  Indians.  The  nature  of  a  missionary's 
life  at  that  time,  and  the  prospects  of  the 
young  candidate  for  siich  a  station,  may  be 
fully  realized  by  a  perusal  of  the  letters  from 
the  Reverend  Samuel  Kirkland  to  Dr.  Whee- 
lock,  written  previously  to  the  removal  from 
Lebanon.  Mr.  Kirkland  was  a  graduate  of 
Nassau  Hall,  in  New  Jersey,  and,  when  quali- 
fied for  the  ministry,  he  undertook  a  mission 
to  the  Seneca  Indians,  the  most  remote  and 
fierce  of  the  confederate  nations.  He  contin- 
ued there  more  than  a  year  and  a  half,  and 
gained  the  confidence  of  some  of  the  chief 
persons  of  the  tribe  ;  but  so  general  was  the 
aversion  to  the  whites,  and  to  the  arts  of  civ- 
ilized life,  that,  after  a  thorough  experiment, 
he  despaired  of  any  such  success  as  would  be 
adequate  to  the  sacrifices  he  must  make,  and 
the  sufierings   he  must  endure.      Leaving   the 


I 
■J 

1 


,  ■lill,  I 


m 


JOHN  LEDYARD. 


19 


Haijover, 
place  he 
ees,  and 
jd  Dart- 
rtmouth, 
y  in  col- 

er  it  was 
himself 
J  among 
sionary's 
of  the 
may  be 
ers  from 
■.  Whee- 
ral  from 
luate  of 
jn  qiiali- 
mission 
lote  and 
!  contin- 
lalf,  and 
le  chief 
was  the 
3  of  civ- 
)eriment, 
irould  be 
3.ke,  and 
tring   the 


-.4 


Senecas, .  therefore,  he  next  proceeded  to  th*e 
Oneidas,  with  whom  he  took  up  a  permanent 
residence.  Here  poverty,  and  famine,  and 
wretchedness  stared  him  in  the  face.  Nor 
were  these  the  worst  evils,  with  which  he  was 
obliged  to  contend.  The  capricious  temper 
and  furious  passions  of  the  savages,  especially 
when  intoxicated,  frequently  put  his  life  in 
jeopardy,  and  kept  him  in  a  state  of  unceas- 
ing alarm. 

All  these  things  were  endured  by  Mr.  Kirk- 
land  with  a  Christian  fortitude,  which  nothing 
but  a  deep  sense  of  the  sacred  nature  of  his 
duties  could  have  enabled  him  to  maintain. 
He  triumphed  at  last ;  he  lived  many  years 
with  the  Oneidas,  and  had  the  satisfaction  to 
see  that  his  toils  were  not  fruitless.  The  In- 
dians revered  him  as  a  father;  they  had  the 
wisdom  to  respect  and  sometimes  to  follow 
his  counsels ;  a  visible  change  took  place  in 
their  character  and  modes  of  life  ;  the  rough 
features  of  the  savage  were  softened,  famine 
and  want  chased  away,  and  the  comforts  of 
life  multiplied.  These  advantages  the  sons  of 
the  forest  saw  and  felt.  No  man  has  ever 
been  more  successful  than  Mr.  Kirkland  in 
improving  the  condition  of  the  Indians,  and, 
to  the  last  day  of  his  life,  he  continued  to 
receive  from  them  earnest  demonstrations  of 
affection  and  gratitude. 


.1   : 


IP'! 

1:' 


.1. 

iiil: 


till: 


r.'j: 


|i:|. 
*»•! 


11. 


I 


I; 


20 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


:  i'l„i;l 


To  this  brief  sketch  it  is  hardly  necessary 
to  add  that,  when  the  revohitionary  war  came 
on,  a  check  was  given  to  the  designs  of  the 
benevolent  in  behalf  of  the  Indians,  They 
engaged  in  the  strife,  which  had  been  kindled 
by  their  white  neighbors,  and  the  voice  of  the 
missionary  was  silenced  by  the  war  whoop 
and  the  din  of  battle.  Many  of  Dr.  Whee- 
lock's  Indian  pupils,  having  gone  through  a 
regular  course  of  instruction,  had  returned  to 
their  homes,  and  were  beginning  to  scatter  the 
light  they  had  received ;  but  their  influence 
was  lost  amidst  the  ravages  of  war.  Much 
was  it  to  be  lamented,  that  the  agency  of  a 
school,  to  which  Dr.  Wheelock  had  devoted 
the  years  of  a  long  and  toilsome  life,  and 
which  had  awakened  a  lively  interest  in  the 
friends  of  humanity,  should  be  so  soon  brought 
to  an  end,  and  nothing  be  seen  in  the  result 
but  a  melancholy  waste  of  time,  talents,  and 
money. 

Such  was  the  condition  of  a  missionary 
among  the  Indians,  and  such  the  origin  and 
purpose  of  the  institution,  to  which  Led  yard 
resorted  for  an  education,  which  should  qual- 
ify him  to  enter  upon  hip  destined  task.  Not 
many  memorials  remain  of  his  college  life. 
The  whole  time  of  his  residence  at  Dart- 
mouth was  not  more  than  one   year,  and  dur- 


:  :  Ij'  !  : 

.    '"it-'     ' 

1  "'ii'il ' : 
Mlliiilii: 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


21 


lecessciry 
irar  came 

s  of  the 
They 
1  kindled 
;e  of  the 
:  whoop 
:.  Whee- 
irough  a 
urned  to 
catter  the 
influence 
Much 
ricy  of  a 
.  devoted 
life,  and 
in  the 
1  brought 
he  result 
ents,  and 

lissionary 
igin  and 
Led  yard 
lid  qual- 
isk.  Not 
ege  life, 
at  Dart- 
and  dur- 


ing that  period  he  was  absent  three  months 
and  a  half,  rambling  among  the  Indians.  A 
classmate  still  living  recollects,  that  he  had 
then  some  amusing  singularities,  was  cheerful 
and  gay  in  conversation,  vanning  in  his  ad- 
dress, and  a  favorite  with  his  fellow-students. 
His  journey  from  Hartford  to  Hanover  was 
performed  in  a  sulky,  the  first  vehicle  of  the 
kind  that  had  ever  been  seen  on  Dartmouth 
plain ;  and  it  attracted  curiosity  not  more  from 
this  circumstance,  than  from  the  odd  appear- 
ance of  the  equipage.  Both  the  horse  and  the 
sulky  gave  evident  tokens  of  having  known 
better  days ;  and  the  dress  of  their  owner  was 
peculiar,  bidding  equal  defiance  to  symmetry 
of  proportions  and  the  fashion  of  the  times. 
In  addition  to  the  traveller's  own  weight,  this 
ancient  vehicle  was  burdened  with  a  quantity 
of  calico  for  curtains,  and  other  articles  to  as- 
sist in  theatrical  exhibitions,  of  which  he  was 
very  fond.  From  the  character  of  this  outfit, 
we  may  conclude  that  he  did  not  intend  time 
should  pass  on  heavy  wings  at  Dartmouth. 

Considering  the  newness  of  the  country,  the 
want  of  bridges,  and  the  bad  state  of  the 
roads,  this  jaunt  in  a  crazy  sulky  was  thought 
to  indicate  no  feeble  spirit  of  enterprise.  The 
journey  might  have  been  performed  with  much 
more  ease  and  expedition  on  horseback,  but  in 


i!';'i 


•S|! 


I 


■!i 


i. 

f 

:i|. 


Milnl 


•If 


'II' 
ill' 


22 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHT. 


that  case  his  theatrical  apparatus  mnst  have 
been  left  behind. 

As  a  scholar  at  college  he  was  respectable, 
but  not  over  diligent.  He  acquired  knowledge 
with  facility,  and  could  make  quick  progress 
when  he  chose  ;  but  he  was  impatient  under 
discipline,  and  thought  nothing  more  irksome 
than  to  go  by  compulsion  to  a  certain  place 
at  certain  times,  and  tread  from  day  to  day  the 
same  dull  circle  of  the  chapel,  the  recitation 
room,  the  commons  hall,  and  the  study.  It  is 
not  affirmed,  that  he  ever  ventured  to  set  up 
any  direct  hostility  to  the  powers  that  ruled, 
but  he  sometimes  demeaned  himself  in  a  man- 
ner, that  must  take  from  him  the  praise  of  a 
shining  example  of  willing  subordination.  In 
those  primitive  times,  the  tones  of  a  bell  had 
not  been  heard  in  the  forests  of  Dartmouth, 
and  the  students  were  called  together  by  the 
sound  of  a  conch-shell,  which  was  blown  in 
turn  by  the  freshmen.  Ledyard  was  indignant 
at  being  sumriioned  to  this  duty,  and  it  was 
his  custom  to  perform  it  with  a  reluctance  and 
in  a  manner  corresponding  to  his  sense  of  the 
degradation. 

The  scenic  materials,  brought  with  so  much 
pains  from  Hartford,  were  not  suffered  to  lie 
useless.  The  calico  was  manufactured  into 
curtains,  a  stage  was  fitted   up,  and  plays  were 


;l 


Vi\i' 


nst   have 

spec table, 
iiowledge 

progress 
nt  under 
',  irksome 
lin  place 
3  day  the 
recitation 
ly.  It  is 
0  set  up 
lat  ruled, 
in  a  man- 
aise  of  a 
tion.      In 

bell  had 
artmouth, 
!r  by  the 
blown  in 
indignant 
id  it  was 
tance  and 
se  of   the 

so  much 
ed  to  lie 
ured  into 
lays  were 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


23 


acted,  in  which  our  hero  personated  the  chief 
characters.  Caio  was  among  the  tragedies 
brought  out  upon  his  boards,  and  in  this  he 
acted  the  part  of  old  Syphax,  wearing  a  long 
gray  beard,  and  a  dress  suited  to  his  notion  of 
the  costume  of  a  Numidian  prince.  His  trage- 
dies were  doubtless  comedies  to  the  audience, 
but  they  all  answered  his  purpose  of  amuse- 
ment, and  of  introducing  a  little  variety  into 
the  sober  tenor  of  a  student's  life.  At  this 
period  h<3  was  much  addicted  to  reading  plays, 
and  his  passion  for  the  drama  probably  stole 
away  many  hours,  that  might  have  been  more 
profitably  employed  in  preparing  to  exhibit 
himself  before  his  tutors. 

He  had  not  been  quite  four  months  in  col- 
lege, when  he  suddenly  disappeared  without 
previous  notice  to  his  comrades,  and  apparent- 
ly without  permission  from  the  president.  The 
full  extent  of  his  travels  during  his  absence 
cannot  now  be  known,  but  he  is  understood 
to  have  wandered  to  the  bordei-s  of  Canada, 
and  among  the  Six  Nations.  It  is  certain, 
that  he  acquired  in  this  excursion  a  knowl- 
edge of  Indian  manners  and  Indian  language, 
wliich  was  afterwards  of  essential  service  to 
him  in  his  intercourse  with  savages  in  various 
parts  of  the  world.  His  main  object,  probably, 
was  to  take  a  cursory  survey  of  the    mission- 


r  " 


:i> 


i  'I 


I:" 


iij'i  I, 
i'il; 

fei, 


1      ,; 


'I  •■ 


24 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


ary  ground,  which  he  was  contemplating  as 
the  theatre  of  his  future  career;  and,  judging 
from  what  followed,  we  may  suppose  that  this 
foretaste  put  an  end  to  all  his  anticipations. 
Nothing  more  is  heard  of  his  missionary  pro- 
jects, although  it  is  not  clear  at  what  time 
he  absolutely  abandoned  them.  When  three 
months  and  a  half  had  expired,  he"  returned  to 
college  and  resumed   his  studies. 

If  his  dran;atic  performances  were  not  re- 
vived, as  it  would  seem  they  were  not,  his 
erratic  spirit  did  not  sink  into  a  lethargy  for 
want  of  expedients  to  keep  it  alive.  In  mid- 
winter, when  the  ground  was  covered  with 
deep  snow,  Ledyard  collected  a  party,  whom 
he  persuaded  to  accompany  him  to  the  sum- 
mit of  a  neighboring  mountain,  and  there  pass 
the  night.  Dr.  Wheelock  consented  to  the 
project,  as  his  heart  was  bent  on  training  up 
the  young  men  to  be  missionaries  among  the 
Indians,  and  he  was  willing  they  should  be- 
come iiuired  to  hardships,  to  which  a  life 
among  savages  would  frequently  expose  them. 
The  projector  of  the  expedition  took  the  lead 
of  his  volunteers,  and  conducted  them  by  a 
pathless  route  through  the  thickets  of  a  swamp 
and  forests,  till  they  reached  the  top  of  the 
mountain,  just  in  time  to  kindle  a  fire,  and  ar- 
range their  encampment  on  the  snow  before  it 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


25 


ating  as 
,  judging 
that  this 
3ipatioiis. 
lary  pro- 
hat  time 
en  three 
turned  to 

3  not  re- 

not,  his 
riargy  for 

In  mid- 
red  with 
y,  whom 
the  sum- 
liere  pass 
d  to  the 
lining  up 
nong  the 
iqiild  be- 
h  a  hie 
)se  them. 

the  lead 
em    by  a 

a  swamp 
)p  of  the 
B,  and  ar- 

before  it 


t 


was  dark.  The  night,  as  may  be  supposed, 
was  dreary  and  sleepless  to  most  of  the  party, 
and  few  were  they  who  did  not  greet  the 
dawn  with  gladness.  Their  leader  was  alert, 
prompt  at  his  duty,  and  pleased  with  his  suc- 
cess. The  next  day,  tliey  returned  home,  all 
perfectly  satisfied,  unless  it  were  Ledyard,  with 
this  single  experiment  of  their  hardihood, 
without  being  disposed  to  make  another  sim- 
ilar trial.  He  had  a  propensity  for  climbing 
mountains,  as  will  be  seen  hereafter  when  we 
meet  him  at  the   Sandwich   Islands. 

After  abandoning  his  missionary  schemes, 
he  began  to  grow  weary  of  college,  and  the 
more  so,  probably,  as  his  unsettled  habits  now 
and  then  drew  from  the  president  a  salutary 
admonition  on  the  importance  of  a  right  use 
of  time,  and  a  regard  for  the  regulations  of  the 
establishment.  Such  hints  he  conceived  to  be 
an  indignity,  and  fancied  himself  ill  treated. 
fThat  there  was  value  in  rules  of  order  and 
discipline  he  did  not  pretend  to  deny,  but 
seemed  at  a  loss  to  imagine  why  they  should 
apply  to  him.  That  the  whole  subject  might 
be  put  at  rest,  without  involving  any  puzzling 
questions  of  casuistry,  he  resolved  to  escape. 

On  the  margin  of  the  Connecticut  River, 
which  runs  near  the  college,  stood  many  ma- 
jestic  forest    trees,   nourished    by   a   rich   soil. 


!!*j'i 


T 


tiii 


26 


AMERlxSAN     inon  RAPHY. 


ft'' '  I 

■    "111)''' 


:<:t,,:" 


,^W:ti 


i^wir 


in. 


f  '11!'!!!' 

#1.1  ::i; 


II' 


One  of  these  Ledyard  contrived  to  cut  down. 
He  then  set  himself  at  Avork  to  fashion  its 
trunk  into  a  canoe,  and  in  this  labor  he  wa§ 
assisted  by  some  of  his  fellow-students.  As 
the  canoe  was  fifty  feet  long  and  three  wide, 
and  was  to  be  dug  out  and  constructed  by 
these  unskilful  Avorkmen,  the  task  was  not  a 
trifling  one,  nor  such  as  could  be  speedily  exe- 
cuted. Operations  were  carried  on  with  spirit, 
however,  till  Ledyard  wounded  himself  with 
an  axe,  and  was  disabled  for  several  days. 
When  recovered,  he  applied  himself  anew  to 
his  work ;  the  canoe  was  finished,  launched 
into  the  stream,  and,  by  the  further  aid  of  his 
companions,  equipped  and  prepared  for  a  voy- 
age. His  wishes  were  now  at  their  consum- 
mation, and,  bidding  adieu  to  these  haunts  of 
the  muses,  where  he  had  gained  a  dubious 
fame,  he  set  off  alone,  with  a  light  heart,  to 
explore  a  river,  with  the  navigation  of  which 
he  h'dd  not  the  slightest  acquaintance.  The 
distance  to  Hartford  was  not  less  than  one 
hundred  and  forty  miles,  much  of  the  way 
was  through  a  wilderness,  and  in  several  places 
there  were  dangerous  falls  and  rapids. 

With  a  bearskin  for  a  covering,  and  his 
canoe  well  stocked  with  provisions,  he  yielded 
himself  to  the  current,  and  floated  leisurely 
down  the  stream,  seldom  using  his  paddle,  and 


niji!! 


JOHN     L  K  D  Y  A  R  D  . 


27 


!Ut  down, 
ishion    its 
)r  he  wa§ 
ents.      As 
iree  wide, 
meted    by 
vas   not  a 
edily  exe- 
/^ith  spirit, 
iself   with 
eral    days. 
'   anew  to 
,  launched 
aid  of  his 
for  a  voy- 
r  consnm- 
hannts  of 
a    dubious 

heart,   to 

of   which 

ice. 

than 

the  way 
eral  places 
s. 

and  his 
he  yielded 
leisurely 
paddle,  and 


The 
one 


t 


stopping  only  in  the  night  for  sleep.  He  told 
Mr.  Jefferson,  in  Paris,  fourteen  years  after- 
wards, that  he  took  only  two  books  with  him, 
a  Greek  Testament  and  Ovid,  one  of  which 
he  was  deeply  engaged  in  reading  when  his 
canoe  approached  Bellows's  Falls,  whore  he 
was  suddenly  roused  by  the  noise  of  the  wa- 
ters rushing  among  the  rocks  through  the  nar- 
row passage.  The  danger  was  imminent,  as 
no  boat  could  go  down  that  fall  without  be- 
ing instantly  daslied  in  pieces.  With  diffi- 
culty he  gained  the  shore  in  time  to  escape 
such  a  catastrophe,  and  through  the  kind  as- 
sistance of  the  people  in  the  neighborhood,  who 
■were  astonished  at  the  novelty  of  such  a  voy- 
age down  the  Coniiecticut,  his  canoe  was 
drawn  by  oxen  around  the  fall,  and  committed 
again  to  the  water  below.  From  that  time, 
till  he  arrived  at  his  place  of  destination,  we 
hear  of  no  accident,  although  he  was  carried 
through  several  dangerous  passes  in  the  river. 
On  a  bright  spring  morning,  just  as  the  sun 
was  rising,  some  of  Mr.  Seymour's  family  were 
standing  near  his  house  on  the  high  bank  of 
tlie  small  river,  that  runs  through  the  city  of 
Hartford,  and  empties  itself  into  the  Connecti- 
cut River,  v.-^hen  they  espied  at  some  distance 
an  object  of  unusual  appearance  moving  slow- 
ly up   the   stream.      Others  were  attracted   by 


ill  '■• 

\m  1, ," 


M 


Iff... 

m 


■■..t* 


*l,| 


liif; 


111" 


,  ,,  M 


l"!^r: 


I 


!    (Ml, 


«    'I: 


fe-rii 


28 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY, 


the  singularity  of  the  sight,  and  all  were  con- 
jecturing what  it  could  be,  till  its  questiona- 
ble shape  assumed  the  true  and  obvious  form 
of  a  canoe ;  but  by  what  impulse  it  was 
moved  forward  none  could  determine.  Some- 
thing was  seen  in  the  '^tern,  but  apparently 
without  life  or  motion.  At  length  the  canre 
touched  the  shore  directly  in  front  of  the 
house ;  a  person  sprang  from  the  stern  to  a 
rock  in  the  edge  of  the  water,  threw  off  a 
bearskin  in  Avhich  he  had  been  enveh^ped,  and 
behold  John  Ledyard,  in  the  presence  of  his 
uncie  and  coniiections,  who  were  filled  with 
wonder  at  this  sudden  apparition,  for  they  had 
received  no  intelligence  of  his  intention  to 
leave  Daitmouth,  but  supposed  him  still  there 
diligently  pursuing  his  studies,  and  fitting  him- 
self to  be  a  missionary  among  the  Indians. 

However  unimportant  this  whimsical  adven- 
ture may  have  been  in  its  results,  or  even  its 
objects,  it  was  one  of  no  ordinary  peril,  and 
illustrated  in  a  forcible  manner  the  character 
of  the  navigator.  The  voyage  was  performed 
in  the  last  part  of  April  or  first  of  May,  and 
of  course  the  river  was  raised  by  the  recent 
melting  of  the  snow  on  the  mountains.  This 
circumstance  probably  rendered  the  rapids  less 
dangerous,  but  it  may  be  questioned  whether 
there    are   many   persons    at   the   present  day, 


"m 


% 


i 
* 


'W. 


m 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


29 


^ere  con- 
uestiona- 
ous  form 
5  it  was 
Some- 
pparently 
lie  canre 
of  the 
tern  to  a 
w  off  a 
^ped,  and 
;e  of  [lis 
led  with 
they  had 
mtion  to 
till  there 
ing  him- 
iians. 
d  adven- 
even  its 
leril,  and 
character 
lerfornied 
^lay,  and 
le  recent 
s.  This 
pids  less 
whether 
ent  day, 


1 


w 


vf 


who  would  willingly  run  the  same  hazard, 
even  if  guided  by  a  pilot  skilled  in  the  navi- 
gation  of  the  river. 

We    cannot    look    back    to    Ledyard,    thus 
launching    himself    alone    in    so    frail    a    bark 
upon    the   waters    of  a  river  wholly  unknown 
to  him,  without    being  reminded    of  the    only 
similar    occurrence,   which  has  been    recorded, 
the   voyage   down  the  River  Niger  by  Mungo 
Park,  a    name   standing    at    the  very  head    of 
those    most   renowned    for   romantic   and    lofty 
enterprise.     The  melancholy  fate,  it  is  true,  by 
which    he  was  soon   arrested  in  his  noble    ca- 
reer, adds  greatly  to    the  interest  of  his  situa- 
tion   when    pushing   from    the  shore    his    little 
boat  Joliba,   and  causes  us  to  read    his  last  af- 
fecting   letter    to    his    wife    with    emotions  of 
sympathy  more  intense,  if  possible,  than  would 
be  felt    if   the  tragical   issue  were   not    already 
known.      In    many    points    of  character    there 
was  a  strong   resemblance   between    these    two 
distinguished  travellers,  and  they  both  perished 
martyrs  in  the  same  cause,   at  empting    to   ex- 
plore the  hidden  regions  of  Africa. 


■*i 


■  !i!!ilf  I 

111"'" 


m 


n 


P'  it 

'•I'  "■:;' 
■Hit    .; 

;;!  :1  ! 

'■!';■  '■" 


ifhi;'; 


'■    11-    • 

]■»".  'I, 
5    ;'i!;|:t'l||:;| 


30  AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


CHAPTER   II. 

Commences  the  Study  of  Theology.  —  Visits  sev 
eral  Clergymen  on  Long  Island.  —  -  Returns  to 

Connecticut: —  Abandons  his  Purpose  of  ■study- 
ing Divinity.  —  Sails  from  New  London  on  a 

Voyage  to  Gibraltar.  —  Enlists  there  as  a  Sol- 
dier into  the  regular  Service.  —  Released.  — 
Returns  Home  by  Way  of  the  Borbary  Coast 
and  the  West  Indies.  —  Sail!i  *" '  New  York 
to  England. —  Enlists  in  the  naval  Service. — 
Embarks  with  Captain  Cook  on  his  last  Voy- 
age round  the   World, 

As  Ledyard  left  Hanover  when  Dr.  VVliee- 
lock  was  absent,  this  was  probably  seized  upon 
by  him  as  a  fit  opportunity  for  taking  his  de- 
parture. A  few  days  after  his  arrival  in  Hart- 
ford^ his  uncle  thought  proper  to  show  hhn 
some  of  Dr.  Wheelock's  letters,  in  whi<  ',  <  :e 
very  just  complaints  of  his  conduct,  Lir  i  i' - 
gard  of  discipline,  and  particularly  his  thou^.r- 
less  waste  of  the  small  means  lie  posyessed, 
which  his  friends  flattered  themselves  might, 
with  good  economy,  be  made  to  })ay  the  ex- 
penses of  his  education.  These  letters  of  the 
president  were  apparently  written  no!  -jo  much 
by   way  of  accusation,   as  to  viudicti    '"imseK 


JOHN  LEDYARD. 


31 


,sits    sev" 

cturns  to 

)f  3tudy~ 

. 

Ion  on  a 

as  a  Sol- 

k 

eased.  — 

ry    Coast 

ew   York 
zrvice.  — 

last  Voy- 

\   Whee- 

'# 

led  upon 

J  his  de- 

in  Hart- 

10  w    hkxi 

i'       '.  t.  :e 

v.     :  -r'  -     ' 

th()U5^;.r- 

)Ossessed, 

s    might, 

the   ex- 

rs  of  the 

•;o  much 

';imsel'' 

.<-' 

from  any  charge  of  neglect  that  might  be 
made  against  him,  on  account  of  the  ill  suc- 
cess of  his  efforts  to  manage  a  young  man, 
whom  he  had  no  other  motive  for  taking  un- 
der his  particular  care,  than  good  will  for  the 
grandson  of  his  deceased  friend,  and  regard  for 
his  family. 

Led  yard  was  much  incensed  at  these  letters, 
and  replied  to  them  under  the  impulse  of 
feelings  not  the  most  kindly  or  respectful. 
From  his  nature  he  was  extremely  impatient 
of  reproach,  and  ever  deemed  it  an  unpardon- 
able offence  in  any  one  to  question  his  mo- 
tives, or  insinuate  that  he  could  act  delib- 
erately and  intentionally  wrong.  His  foibles 
he  could  bear  to  have  touched  with  a  gentle 
hand,  but  no  one  ventured  a  suspicion  of  his 
integrity,  or  of  the  kindness  of  his  heart,  with 
impunity.  He  often  lamented  the  failure  of 
■purposes  caused  by  his  fondness  for  change 
and  love  of  advent^ire ;  but  at  no  time  did  he 
allow  himself  to  think,  that  he  was  not  pur- 
suing great  and  worthy  objects,  and  such  as 
would  redouiid  to  his  honor,  and  the  good  of 
mankind.  With  this  disposition,  and  this  con- 
fidence \:\  himself,  it  was  natural  that  he 
should  sometimes  regard  the  opinions,  which 
others  entertained  of  his  conduct,  with  stronger 
feelings    of  disapprobation   than   the  merits  of 


I 


hh\r    t!  ;.! 

it;  ii;!' 
11. 


'.;;i;i  'I 


'.  h'l;' 


I 


Ji.'n. 

ill.  !!'  ! 


llii'^ 


'm 


"Kih  iii.i, 

:■■  :  : 


:h  i'lir 


1  '-'i'lii 


■^ili' 


I  M 


32 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


the  case  required.  In  reading  the  following 
extracts  from  a  letter  to  Dr.  Wheelock,  these 
particulars  should  be  kept  in  mind;  and  it 
should,  moreover,  be  remembe  ed  that,  whether 
right  or  wrong,  he  really  fancied  himself  not 
well  treated  at  Dartmouth. 

"  When  I  sit  down  to  write,"  says  he,  "  I 
know  not  where  to  begin,  or  where  to  end,  or 
what  to  say,  especially  since  I  have  the  con- 
tents of  two  of  your  letters  concerning  my 
affairs.  What  do  I  see?  Who  is  this  that 
assumes  the  port  of  compassion,  kindness,  be- 
nevolence, charity,  and  writes  as  he  writes? 
You  begin.  Sir,  with  a  surprise,  that  my  leg- 
acy was  so  much  exhausted.  Justly  might 
you,  Sir,  but  not  more  so  than  my  unfortunate 
self;  and  if  truth  has  not  turned  liar,  if  any 
protestations,  any  declarations  of  honesty,  up- 
rightness, or  anything  else  can  avail,  I  now, 
under  the  most  sacred  obligations,  bond  fide, 
declare  I  was  not  aware  of  it ;  and  when  I 
saw  the  letters  and  account,  I  was  so  nuich 
ashamed  of  my  inadvertency,  and  so  justly 
culpable  before  you,  that  I  could  not  compose 
myself  to  come  before  you,  and  answer  for 
my  misconduct.  But  from  that  moment,  with 
much  anxiety  and  care,  I  studied  to  remedy 
the    matter.       This  I   declare    was    the    honest 

• 

purpose  of  my  lieart  ;  and   to   make    yon    rep- 


% 


!  ,si 


m 


jp 


JOHN     LEDYAim. 


33 


bllowing 

'A, 

;k,   these 

■  ■ .  ■  - 

and    it 

whether 

Qself  not 
5   he,  "I 

1 

i 

o  end,  or 
the  con- 
ning my 
this  that 
iness,  be- 
3  writes  ? 
t  my  leg- 
ly  might 
ifortunate 
if  any 


ir, 


lesty,    up- 

,  I   now, 

bond  fide, 

when  I 
so  much 
so   justly 

compose 
nswer  for 
lent,  with 
remedy 
ic  honest 
yon    rep- 


aration still  is  ;  and,  under  Heaven,  you  shall 
say  you  are  satisfied.  Then,  Sir,  you  say,  a 
little  af'er,  that  you  could  have  no  confidence 
in  me,  after  the  character  given  of  me  by  Mr. 
Seymour.    1  am  sorry.  Sir,  you  could  not. 

"I  take  what  you  have  said,  in  regard  to 
my  pride,  very  ill  natured,  very  unkind  in  you. 
So  far  as  I  know  myself,  I  came  to  your  col- 
lege under  influences  of  the  good  kind,  wheth- 
er you.  Sir,  believe  it  or  not.  The  acquaint- 
ance I  have  gained  there  is  dearer  than  I  can 
possibly  express.  Farewell,  dear  Dartmouth ! 
Doctor,  my  heart  is  as  pure  as  the  new  fallen 
snow.  Farewell,  and  may  the  God  of  Abra- 
ham, Isaac,  and  Jacob,  bless  you  and  yours. 
I  am,  honored  and  reverend  Sir,  though  sorely 
beset,  your  obliged  and  dutiful  young  servant." 

Here  end  all  the  fjarticulars,  which  have 
come  to  niy  knowledge,  respecting  Ledyard's 
college  life.  He  next  appears  before  us  in  the 
character  of  a  student  in  divinity.  Within  a 
month  after  mooring  his  canoe  at  the  river's 
bank  in  Hartford,  he  is  found  at  Preston,  in 
Connecticut,  advising  with  the  Reverend  Mr. 
Hart,  a  clergyman  of  that  town,  on  the  subject 
of  his  theological  studies  and  prospects,  and 
also  with  the  Reverend  Dr.  Bellamy,  at  that 
time  a  preacher  of  wide  fame  in  Connecticut. 
Both  of  these  clergymen  gave  him  such  en- 
VOL.    xiv.  3 


'  ji  il:i|j 


i'  III 


2     '!;, 


lit: 


l'"'    "ii 


'  ai- ■'i!-!!;; 


,"i. 

1*1;' ■■ 

i"'-i;;:"' 

41'     I 

:ff 


■111'. 


■    ''I',  .!.■ 

■ 'li^^ii:'!'!; 
:>i:!!l'l!' 

'.i'il.:i  ;.;■ 


ll' 


::'.lr.;:; 

h        r.|,.j  Ml!! 

J  ri'f::ffii; 

"'•tiilFllji- 

':!:;;:  ;''ir 


>,i!'i:;. 


II 


PIS': 


34 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


couragement,  that  he  resolved  to  apply  him- 
self immediately  to  a  preparation  for  dischar- 
ging the  sacred  functions  of  a  divine,  and  turn 
the  rufiied  tenor  of  his  life  into  the  quiet  and 
grateful  occupation  of  a  parish  minister.  He 
speaks  of  his  anticipations  on  this  occasion 
with  a  heartiness  and  enthusiasm,-  whiclii  show, 
at  least,  that  he  imagined  himself  sincere,  and 
that  in  the  future  he  fancied  he  had  only  to 
look  for  the  unalloyed  blessings  of  tranquillity, 
competence,  and  peace.  Such  was  his  haste 
to  realize  these  precious  hopes,  that  he  had 
not  patience  to  wait  the  usual  term  required 
of  young  candidates,  who  had  not  been  grad- 
uated  at  a  college. 

To  facilitate  the  attainment  of  this  end,  his 
advisers  recommended  that  he  should  go  to 
Long  Island,  and  there  pass  through  his  initia- 
tory studies,  where,  it  was  said,  smaller  at- 
tainments were  required  for  admission  to  the 
desk  ;  and,  when  once  admitted,  he  might  re- 
■uni  and  procure  a  settlement  wherever  there 
should  be  an  opening.  With  this  scheme  he 
was  well  satisfied,  and  being  furnished  by  the 
above  gentlemen  with  suitable  letters  of  rec- 
ommendation, he  mounted  his  horse  and  set 
off  for  Long  Island,  with  the  same  buoyancy 
of  spirits  as  when,  two  months  before,  he  en- 
tered   his    canoe    at    Dartmouth,   and    with    a 


4 


m 


>i 


-ii 

■  '"rfe 


M- 


I 


11 


i||l!'i' 

illlil 

i  pill 


JOHN     LEDYARD, 


35 


)ly   him- 

dischar- 

ind  turn 

uiet  and 

er.      He 

occasion 

111  show, 

ere,   and 

only  to 

tiqnillity, 

lis    haste 

he    had 

required 

en   grad- 

end,  his 
d  go  to 
lis  initia- 
aller  at- 
i  to  the 
night  re- 
^er  there 
heme  he 
i  by  the 
;    of   rec- 

and  set 
juoyaiicy 
2,  he  en- 

with    a 


■■g 


>*? 


purpose  much  more  definite,  and  higher  ex- 
pectations. 

In  describing  this  tour,  I  shall  let  him  speak 
in  his  own  language,  as  contained  in  a  letter 
written  to  a  friend  at  the  time. 

"  Equipped  with  my  credentials,  I  embarked 
for  Long  Island.  The  next  day  I  fortunately 
arrived  at  Southold,  surprised  my  mother  with 
a  visit,  and  after  remaining  with  her  twenty- 
four  hours,  I  rode  to  the  eastward.  With  an- 
other recommendatory  letter  from  the  Reverend 
Mr.  Storrs,  I  crossed  Shelter  Island  Ferry,  and 
thence  to  East  Hampton,  where  I  met  with  a 
kind  reception  from  the  Reverend  Mr.  Buell, 
moderator  of  the  synod,  an  influential  man, 
and  a  glorious  preacher.  Here  I  was  intro- 
duced to  a  very  large  library,  and,  in  company 
with  another  young  candidate,  1  spent  about  a 
month  with  intense  application  to  study.  But 
this  was  only  an  interregnum.  Mr.  Buell  let 
me  know,  that  the  presbytery  here  proceed  in 
these  matters  with  a  perfect  extreme  of  delib- 
eration ;  and  since  my  circumstances  were  as 
they  were,  he  advised  me  to  comply  with  the 
dispensations  of  Providence,  and  seek  a  school, 
and  study  under  some  divine.  I  knew  his 
advice  to  be  as  that  from  a  father  to  a  son, 
and,  without  a  moment's  hesitation,  wiping  the 
sweat  of  care  from  my  brow,  I  bestrided   my 


I 


1--I 
i:-ii!iii 


s    'I''!,;      ,    ■■    ■ 

'■'iil  ;;;  ;'■■■ 
■tl"  '    • 

■:;ri.l'''ii 


:!|i 


'    I'. 


;:..|; 


j  '■■!:i::ji!i::;: 


•'!mi. 


it.i;ri;  ■l:^ 
l^tiislj':!!!'!: 


•i-!l 


!iri";ii:i 


lilii: 


'1:1  " 


36 


AMERICAN     BlOGKAPllY. 


Rosinaiite  with  a  mountain  of  grief  upon  my 
shoulders,  but  a  good  letter  in  my  pocket.  I 
jogged  on  groaning,  but  never  desponding, 
passed  to  Bridgetown,  thence  to  Southampton, 
and  through  many  little  villages  to  Sataucket 
Quorum,  then  to  Smithtown,  Fireplace,  Oyster 
Bay,  and  so  on,  visiting  and  making  acquaint- 
ance with  the  clergy  wherever  I  went. 

*•  At  length,  after  a  ride  of  almost  one  hun- 
dred miles,  by  crossing  the  island  I  arrived  at 
Huntington,  a  large  town  about  forty  miles 
from  New  York,  where  I  visited  the  minister 
of  the  place,  old  Mr.  Prime.  After  about 
twelve  days'  feasting  upon  his  great  library, 
and  a  quickly  made  friendship  with  the  inge- 
nious Dr.  Prime,  formerly  of  New  York,  and  a 
fruitless  attempt  to  get  a  school,  I  was  return- 
ing, but  stopped  to  become  acquainted  with 
the  excellent  Irishman,  the  Reverend  Mr.  Cald- 
well, of  Elizabeth  Town,  and  the  popular  Dr. 
Rogers  of  New  York  ;  and,  after  some  cordials 
of  consolation  and  encouragement,  they  bade 
me  go  on,  and  God  speed  me.  They  told  me 
that  the  sufferings  I  met  with,  and  the  con- 
temptuous ideas  the  people  where  I  was  born 
and  educated  had  of  me,  were  nothing  strange, 
but  reflected  honor  on  me ;  that  a  prophet  is 
hardly  accepted  in  his  own  country,  and  the 
like. 


1 


'%. 


1 


f  ■ 


J  0  II  X     L  E  D  Y  A  R  D . 


37 


pon  my 
ket.  I 
(ondiiig, 
amptoii, 
itaiicket 
,  Oyster 
cquaiiit- 

me  huu- 
rived  at 
,y  miles 
minister 
r    about 

library, 
he  inge- 
k,  and  a 
s  return- 
ed with 
Hr.  Cald- 
ular   Dr. 

cordials 
ley  bade 

told  me 

he   coii- 
i^as   born 

strange, 
ophet   is 

and   the 


■ft 


"  I  returned,  after  a  very  fatiguing  journey, 
to  Mr.  Buell's,  and  stayed  a  short  time  with  that 
hermit,  where  and  with  whom  I  longed  to  be 
buried  in  ease ;  but  I  scorned  to  be  a  coward, 
and  chose  to  die  in  front  of  battle,  if  any- 
where. We  advised  together  anew,  and  it  was 
resolved,  that,  since  I  was  so  disappointed,  I 
should  proceed  with  renewed  vigor.  Accord- 
ingly, with  warm  letters  I  came  again  to  the 
continent,  where  I  arrived  in  the  evening,  but 
thought  it  most  prudent  not  to  stop  there, 
no,  not  where  I  was  born.  I  dropped  a  tear 
upon  the  occasion,  and  rode  on  toward  Pres- 
ton till  eleven  at  night,  when,  feeling  quite 
exhausted,  for  I  had  been  severely  sea-sick,  I 
dismounted,  left  my  horse  to  graze,  looked  up 
to  heaven,  and  under  its  canopy  fell  asleep. 
The  next  morning  I  rode  to  my  cousin  Isaac's 
house,  and  being  refreshed,  I  advanced  once 
more  to  Mr.  Hart's,  where  I  was  again  hand- 
somely and  kindly  received." 

Thus  disappointed  in  his  expectations  on 
Long  Island,  his  ardor  was  somewhat  damped, 
but  his  resolution  remained  unshaken.  He 
made  up  his  mind  to  apply  again  to  his  old 
friends,  and  seek  their  sympathy  and  counsel. 
As  they  had  expressed  themselves  warmly  in 
his  favor,  and  recommended  him  in  flattering 
terms  to  the  Long   Island  clergy,  he  was  san- 


iliMi 


■">, 


NT-'"!, 


mi 


1^. : 


'iu-'i 


|Vm  'Ml 

""'illl'l"- 

li'  ■  'i  ■ 


i;-i 


■"'iij!!' 


H,l| 


M'ii:i:';: 


S  jivll'liiii':!!' 
,  #  P'   !, 

>  II"''  ijili!!!'' 


i  liii':  li:: 


;;  H 


Mi::ir 


;ii!;iii:;: 
iii'liiiji. 

iillliji;: 

m 

:'      /Hill, 


! 


38 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHV, 


giiiiie  in  the  faith,  that  they  would  not,  when 
things  came  to  an  extremity,  hesitate  to  do,  on 
their  own  part,  what  they  had  encouraged  so 
earnestly  in  their  brethren.  With  some  confi- 
dence, therefore,  he  repeated  his  solicitations  to 
Mr.  Hart.  The  result  shall  likewise  be  given 
in  his  own  words.  . 

"  We  have  advised  together,  and  read  the 
aforesaid  letters.  The  amount  of  all  is  this ; 
'  Don't  be  discouraged,  Mr.  Ledyard  ;  you  will 
think  the  bettor  of  fair  weather  after  this 
storm.  My  private  sentiments  and  my  public 
conduct,  in  your  case,  are  two  things.  I  don't 
doubt  one  single  instant  of  your  probity  and 
well-meaning.  What  the  world  does,  I  cannot 
say ;  but,  as  I  officiate  in  a  public  character, 
I  must  deal  with  you  as  so  officiating ;  and 
for  that  reason,  as  well  as  securing  your  fu- 
ture tranquillity  in  the  ministry,  by  making  a 
good  begiiming,  I  by  all  means  advise,  first, 
that  you  write  speedily  to  the  Reverend  Mr. 
Whitman,  and  gtt  him  to  write  to  us  respect- 
ing you  what  he  can,  as  you  have  lived  long 
under  him  ;  secondly,  that  you  write  also  to 
Dartmouth,  to  procure  a  regular  dismission 
from  the  president.  When  we  have  these,  we 
shall  proceed  with  confidence  in  the  face  of 
all  men,  and  not  be  ashamed  to  introduce  you 
anywhere.'     Now,  Sir,  though  but  very  brief, 


■■1* 

f 


JOHN     LEDYARD 


39 


.  when 

do,  on 

igcd  so 

!  confi- 

ions  to 


?   given 


3ad   the 
is   this  ; 

ou  will 

ter    this 

pubHc 

I  don't 
>ity  and 
I  cannot 
laracter, 
ig  ;  and 
youv  fu- 
laking  a 


se, 


first, 
end  Mr. 

respect- 
ved  long 

also  to 
ismission 
hese,  we 

face  of 
luce  you 
ry  brief, 


y 


m 


'# 


'-0 


I    have    given    you    an    exact    account   of  my 

situation,  and  the  fatigues  of  my  pursuits.    You 

see  what  bars  my  sitting  directly  dowit. 

"  As    Dartmouth    is   at  such  a  distance,   the 

clergy    here    do    not    insist    on    a   return    from 

tliat  place  so  soon   as  from   Hartford ;   but   the 

sooner  I  have  an    answer  from  Mr.    Whitman, 

the  sooner  will   my  mind    be  at  rest.      There 

are  four  ministers  that  stand   ready  to  advance 

me    the    moment    this    is   done,  among    whom 

the  f^imous  Dr.   Bellamy  is  one.      The    clergy 

are    very   exact    in    these    things,  and    I    have 

sometimes    thought   that    they   meant    to    keep 

me    humming    around    them    till    I  was    tired, 

and  so  get  clear  of  an  absolute   refusal ;  or,  as 

Dr.   Young  expresses  it,  to 

'  Fright  me,  with  terrors  of  a  world  unknown, 
From  joys  of  this,  to  keep  them  all  their  own.' 

They  have  found  me  affliction  proof,  if  this 
was  their  motive  ;  but  I  plainly  see  they  mean 
it  for  my  honor,  and  their  own  too.  The  re- 
quest, in  short,  which  I  make  of  you  is,  that 
you  will  please  to  wait  on  Mr.  Whitman  with 
my  letter,  hurry  him  for  an  answer,  and  send 
it  to  me  by  the  earlie'.t  opportunity." 

That  such  an  anc-wer  never  came,  may  be 
inferred .  from  the  fact  that  he  was  never  li- 
censed as  a  preacher ;  and  the  judgment  of  his 
friends,  the  clergymen,   is  not  to   be  so  much 


■ili'.i!':,,; 


!:'■ 


■ni'   .(     Hi;,, 

.?:.: 


|H;'„:: 
'"liri'i'' 

i: 


*:iii'  ' : 


i?i 


Mil!  i'l    "' 


1 1  k  ii'iir 


i 


iiilli'i, 
"111-     '''- 
■■''i'lil.iiiil  I 


40 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


censured  in  this,  perhaps,  as  in  the  unjustifia- 
ble encouragement  tliey  held  out  to  him. 
They  could  not  suppose  him  qualified  for  the 
clerical  office,  with  the  limited  knowledge  and 
experience  he  possessed,  and  it  was  wrong  to 
delude  him  with  the  notion  that  they  would, 
under  any  circumstances,  publicly  approve  him 
as  such,  merely  upon  receiving  two  letters, 
which,  at  most,  could  testify  only  to  his  gen- 
eral character.  His  attainments  were  after- 
wards to  be  made.  He  was  doubtless  impor- 
tunate, and  Mr.  Hart  and  Dr.  Bellamy  were 
good  natured ;  but  their  kindnef'  svould  have 
been  better  applied,  especially  t  mind  like 
that  of  Ledyard's,  if  they  had  been  more  frank 
and  decided  in  the  outset. 

His  sensibility  was  keen'/  touched  by  the 
disappointment,  which,  as  much  as  anything 
perhaps,  drove  him,  somewhat  disgusted,  from 
prosecuting  his  theological  studies.  That  he 
engaged  in  them  with  considerable  ardor,  no 
one  can  doubt  after  reading  his  remarks  above ; 
that  he  would  have  continued  long  of  the 
same  mind  is  not  very  likely;  but  it  was  a 
mistaken  exercise  of  benevolence  to  foster 
hopes,  which  there  was  no  chance  of  seeing 
ripened  into  realities,  and  thus  enticing  him 
into  a  profession,  for  which  he  was  hardly  in 
any  one  respect  fitted.    As  a  further  proof  that 


■■;!» 


m 


!!:;i 


JOHN     I,  EDYARD 


41 


ijiistifia- 
o     him. 

for  the 
jgc  and 
'long  to 

would, 
3ve  him 

letters, 
liis  gcn- 
e  after- 
3  impor- 
ly  were 
jld  have 
ind  Uke 
)re  frank 

by  the 
anything 
ed,  from 
That  he 
irdor,  no 
s  above; 

of  the 
X  was  a 
to  foster 
if  seeing 
:ing  him 
lardly  in 
>roof  that 


he  was  in  earnest  at  the  beginning,  it  may  be 
mentioned,  that  he  not  only  apphed  himself  as- 
siduously to  study,  but  was  accustomed  to  de- 
claim in  the  woods  and  retired  places,  that  he 
might  discipline  his  voice,  and  prepare  himself 
for  public  speaking. 

But  his  studies  in  theology  were  of  short 
duration.  He  was  mortified  at  the  ill  success 
of  his  application  to  the  clergy  for  .being  ap- 
proved as  a  candidate,  and  other  circumstances 
concurred  to  annoy  and  wound  him.  The 
effect  of  these  on  his  feelings  will  appear  in 
the  following  postscript  to  a  letter,  written 
three  months  after  the  one  last  quoted.  "  I 
send  you  this  from  Groton,  even  the  little 
Groton,  where  it  seems  I  must  at  last  hide  my 
head,  and  relinquish  all  the  glorious  purposes 
I  had  in  view.  'Tis  hard.  Do  you  not  won- 
der that  I  still  live,  when  there  is  such  in- 
quiry about  the  strange  man  in  Hartford,  when 
I  am  the  mark  of  impertinent  curiosity,  when 
everything  around  me  opposes  my  designs  ? 
Do  you  not  wonder  that  I  have  my  senses  in 
so  great  a  degree  as  to  let  you  know,  that  I 
am  as  unmoved  as  my  observers  and  op- 
posers  ? "  These  hints  are  enough  to  show 
that  obstacles  of  a  serious  kind,  whether  im- 
aginary or  real,  met  him  in  various  quarters, 
and  that  a  weight  of  corroding  cares  hung 
upon  his  soul. 


pijtiil;'';;'''! 
'^r•;!,:  ■''.:■": 

■'■'**■:'  ■ '  'I 

,..r'lC       '■ 

'..111'   .  .1' 

■■i»I'iHi..;. 
..■ir".'i':'.">' 

;:?vi!  'til 
;?»;;;'  .ii'u. 


:■■'  r::t!!i| 


■ . "  'irii' 

'     ■/■  ■' « 

1"  ■■■tA 

'  .•Mm 

1   .-if"M.i1W; 


'^[ 


42 


AMTSRICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


But  we  are  not  left  long  to  sympathize 
with  him  in  his  griefs.  AH  thoughts  of  di- 
vinity being  now  abandoned,  he  is  introduced 
to  us,  a  few  weeks  afterwards,  in  a  totally  new 
character,  that  of  a  sailor  on  board  a  vessel 
bound  to  Gibraltar.  Captain  Deshon,  who  re- 
sided in  New  London,  and  sailed  from  that 
port,  had  been  his  father's  friend,  and  the  hero 
of  our  narrative  now  shipped  with  him  for  a 
voyage  to  the  Mediterranean.  He  entered  as 
a  common  sailor,  but  was  treated  by  the  cap- 
tain rather  as  a  friend  and  associate,  than  as 
one  of  the  ordinary  crew ;  and  his  good  hu- 
mor, suavity  of  manners,  and  intelligence,  made 
hii  company  highly  acceptable  to  all  on  board. 
I'he  voyage  was  first  to  Gibraltar,  next  to  a 
port  on  the  Barbary  coast  for  taking  in  a  car- 
go of  mules,  and  thence  homeward  by  way 
of  the  West  Indies. 

One  incident  only  has  been  tranismitted,  as 
worthy  of  notice  during  this  voyage.  While 
the  ship  was  lying  at  Gibraltar,  Ledyard  was 
all  at  once  missing,  and  it  was  some  time  be- 
fore anything  could  be  heard  of  him.  There 
came  a  rumor,  at  length,  that  he  was  among 
the  soldiers  in  the  barracks.  A  person  was 
sent  to  make  inquiry,  who  d^^scried  him  iu 
the  ranks,  dressed  in  the  British  uniform, 
armed   and    equipped   from    head    to  foot,  and 


m 


m 


Hf 


^■€ 


m 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


43 


[ipatliize 
s  of  di- 
roduced 
Ily  new 
vessel 
who  re- 
m    that 
he  hero 
n  for  a 
ered    as 
he  cap- 
haii   as 
)od  hu- 
e,  made 
board. 
it    to  a 
a  car- 
)y  way- 
ted,  as 
While 
I'd  was 
ne  be- 
Thure 
among 
11    was 
lim    in 
liform, 
t,  and 


carrying 


g  hiniseL  with  a  martial  air  and  atti- 
tude, which  proved  that,  to  whatever  vocation 
he  might  be  called,  he  was  not  to  be  outdone 
by  his  comrades.  Captain  Deshon  went  to  his 
quarters,  and  remonstrated  with  him  for  this 
strange  freak,  and  urged  him  to  return,  lie 
said  he  enlisted  because  he  was  partial  to  the 
service,  and  thought  the  profession  of  a  soldier 
well  suited  to  a  man  of  honor  and  enterprise ; 
but  that  he  would  not  be  obstinate,  and  was 
willing  to  go  back,  i{  the  captain  insisted  ou 
it,  and  would  procure  his  release.  When  the 
circumstances  were  made  known  to  the  British 
commanding  officer,  he  consented  to  release  his 
new  rect'ii';,  who  returned  on  board  the  ship 
and  prosy.uted  his  voyage. 

While  at  Gibraltar,  he  wrote  home  a  very 
full  avd  amusing  account  of  what  he  saw  in 
that  place,  but  the  letter  has  been  lost. 

Within  a  year  from  the  time  of  sailing  from 
New  London,  the  vessel  anchored  again  in  the 
same  harbor,  and  the  only  profit  yielded  by 
the  voyage  to  our  young  adventurer  was  a 
little  experience  of  the  hardships  of  a  sailor's 
life,  and  knowledge  of  the  mysteries  of  his 
profession.  However  valuable  might  be  this 
species  of  gain  as  stock  in  hand  for  future 
use,  it  had  no  power  to  satisfy  immediate 
want.    Poverty   stared   him  in   the    face  ;    and, 


^*^. 


•1  'n^iti'i!' ■'!,!' 


.'"■u. 


:d!0'i" 


.'I    'K 


f'0M\ 


^    f;H':'ii;:':r ' 


:rb 


"i 
r;  ii 


II! 'I  h 


M 


,i.(il.lilllfl 

|«!|l''l|!r;| 

"  ■     ■     ,1  i"  ■ 


44 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  he  found  himself  a 
solitary  wanderer,  dependent  on  the  bounty  of 
his  friends,  without  employment  or  prospects, 
having  tried  various  pursuits  and  failed  of  suc- 
cess in  all.  Neither  his  pride,  nor  his  sense 
of  duty,  would  suffti  him  to  remain  in  this 
condition  one  moment  longer,  than  till  he 
could  devise  a  method  of  escape  from  it ;  yet 
the  peculiar  frame  of  his  mind  and  temper  was 
such,  that  nothing  would  have  been  more  idle, 
either  in  himself  or  any  other  person,  than  to 
think  of  chaining  him  down  to  any  of  the 
dull  courses  of  life,  to  which  the  great  mass 
of  mankind  are  contented  to  resort,  as  the 
means  of  acquiring  a  fortune,  gaining  a  com- 
petence,  or  driving  want  from  the  door. 

That  he  mui^t  provide  for  himself  by  his 
own  efforts,  was  a  propooition  too  forcibly  im- 
pressed upon  him  to  be  denied ;  but  there 
seemed  not  a  single  propensity  of  his  nature, 
which  inclined  him  to  direct  these  efforts  in 
the  same  manner  as  other  people,  or  to  attain 
conmion  ends  by  common  means.  Poverty 
and  privation  were  trifles  of  no  weight  with 
him,  compared  with  the  irksome  necessity  of 
.  walking  in  the  same  path  that  all  the  world 
walked  in,  and  doing  thhigs  as  all  the  world 
had  done  them  before.  He  thought  this  a 
very  tame  pursuit,  unworthy  of  a  rational  man, 


••liii' 


ii'%M 


JOHN     LEDYARD 


45 


limself  a 
ounty  of 
prospects, 
d  of  suc- 
liis  sense 
11  in  this 

till    he 

it ;  yet 
nper  was 
lore  idle, 

than  to 
Y  of  the 
eat   mass 

as    the 
a    com- 
Dr. 

f  by  his 
:ibly  im- 
iit  there 
5  nature, 
fforts  in 
to  attain 
Poverty 
ht  with 
sssity  of 
le  world 
le  world 
t  this  a 
lal  man, 


whose  soul  should  be  fired  with  a  nobler  am- 
bition. 

Entertaining  such  views  of  the  objects  of 
human  life,  it  is  not  surprising  that  he  should 
feel  himself  hanging  loosely  upon  society,  and 
should  discover  that,  while  he  continued  with- 
out purpose  and  vnthout  property,  he  would 
exhibit  slender  claims  to  the  respect  of  the 
community,  or  the  confidence  of  his  friends. 
Their  sympathy  he  might  have  ;  but  this  was 
a  boon  which  he  disdained  to  accept,  when 
elicited  by  misfortunes  springing  from  his  own 
improvidence,  or  by  evils  which  he  had  power 
to  avoid.  That  he  had  no  intention  of  fixing 
himself  down  in  any  steady  occupation,  is 
proved  by  a  remark  in  a  letter  written  from 
Gibraltar.  "I  allot  to  myself,'-  said  he,  "a 
seven  years'  ramble  lore,  although  the  past 
has  long  since  wasted  !ie  means  I  possessed  ' 
Often  had  he  heard  his  grandfather  descant 
on  his  ancestors,  and  his  wealthy  connections 
in  England  ;  and  the  thought  had  entered  our 
rambler's  head,  that  one  day  it  might  be  no 
unwise  thing  for  him  to  visit  these  relatives, 
and  claim  alliance  with  them  as  a  hopeful 
branch  of  so  worthy  a  stock. 

In  this  stage  of  his  affairs,  he  was  convinced 
that  the  proper  time  had  come,  and  he  suf- 
fered   now  and   then   a  bright  vision    to   play 


F^^" 


imm 


a: 

?  i'!;  !i  lii 

^  ,  Kikii',!!^:;  M' 
.'I'll  ■*•  ,   '. 

■■?!riil!'-': 


..,-,* 


i  .  .t  ii!  '!'.;• '' i ; 


iii  Ml  ■ 


i4«i"|;  ■!.•"■  I' ;; 

tiJUU  >  il    .P   ' 


ill  ! 


Miiil'i'i 


I  ! 


y 


ili!!! 


■Jill 


''^''liiii'i!  ; 
"  I.  'till. 


46 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


before  his  fancy,  of  the  happy  change  that 
kvould  ensue,  by  the  aid  and  influence  of  his 
newly  found  friends  in  England,  who  would 
receive  with  joy  so  ^iromising  a  member 
of  their  family  from  America.  Elated  with 
dreams  like  these,  he  took  a  hasty  leave  of 
the  place  of  his  nativity,  and  the  associates  of 
his  youth,  and  made  the  best  of  his  way  to 
New  York,  there  to  seek  out  a  passage  to  the 
land  of  promise. 

The  first  vessel  about  to  sail  for  England 
was  bound  to  Plymouth,  and  in  this  he  ob- 
tained a  berth,  probably  on  condition  of  work- 
ing as  a  sailor.  His  trip  to  the  Mediterranean 
was  now  to  yield  its  fruits.  On  his  arrival  in 
Plymouth  and  leaving  the  vessel,  he  was  re- 
duced to  the  extreme  of  want,  without  money 
in  his  pocket,  or  a  single  acquaintance  to 
whom  he  could  apply  for  relief.  Thus  sit- 
uated, it  behoved  him  to  make  haste  to  Lon- 
don, where  he  looked  for  an  immediate  wel- 
come and  a  home  among  the  relations,  whose 
wealth  and  virtues  he  had  heard  so  much  ex- 
tolled by  his  grandfather.  As  the  good  fortune 
of  the  moment  would  have  it,  he  fell  in  with 
an  Irishman,  a  genuine  specimen  of  the  hon- 
esty, frankness,  and  good  nature,  which  char- 
acterize many  of  the  sons  of  Erin ;  whose 
plight  so  exactly  resembled  his  own,  that  they 


'£■■ 


JOHN     LEDYARD, 


47 


ige  that 
e  of  his 
0  would 
member 
;ed  with 
leave  of 
ciates  of 
3  way  to 
re  to  the 

England 
s  he  ob- 
of  work- 
iterranean 
arrival  in 

was  re- 
it  money 
tance  to 
rhus  sit- 
!  to  Lon- 
iate  wel- 
ls, whose 
nuch  ex- 
)d  fortune 

in  with 
the  hon- 
ich  char- 
whose 
that  they 


formed  a  mutual  attachment  almost  as  soon  as 
they  came   in  contact  with  each  other. 

There  is  a  sympathetic  power  in  misfortune, 
which  is  heedless  of  the  forms  of  society,  and 
acts  not  by  any  cold  rules  of  calculation.  Both 
the  travellers  were  pedestrians  bound  to  Lou- 
don, both  were  equally  destitute,  having  noth- 
ing wherewith  to  procure  a  subsistence.  They 
agreed  to  take  turns  in  begging  on  the  road. 
In  this  manner  they  travelled  h-trmoniously  to- 
gether, till  they  "eached  London,  without  hav- 
ing any  reason  to  complain  that  Providence 
had  neglected  them  on  the  way,  or  that  there 
was  a  lack  of  generous  and  disinterested  feel- 
ing in   the  human  kind. 

Ledyard's  thoughts  were  now  gay ;  for,  al- 
though in  beggary,  he  fancied  that  the  next 
step  would  place  him  at  the  summit  of  his 
wishes,  and  open  to  him  wide  the  door  of 
prosperity.  Had  he  possessed  the  very  lamp 
of  Aladdin,  and  been  endued  with  the  Der- 
vise's  power,  lie  could  not  have  been  more 
confident  or  happy.  To  find  out  his  relations 
was  now  his  only  anxiety.  By  accident  he 
saw  the  family  name  on  a  carriage,  and  he 
inquired  of  tho  coachman  where  the  owner 
lived,  and  what  was  his  occupation.  The  an- 
swer was,  that  he  was  a  rich  merchant,  and 
the  place  of  his  residence  was  pointed  out. 


.*:!'•    iiill    '  1 


si.iii::"'!,,! 


'■$■«•  ■■■'■-I''  ' ' 


■;iiiii; 


.'W': 


::!!M; 


,? 


Hill' 


,#:1(!"-U : 


I  ill 


|f:'i 


48 


AMERICAN     B  I  O  U  R  A  r  H  Y  . 


Our  eager  traveller  hastened  to  the  house, 
inquired  for  the  occuj)ant,  and  ascertained  that 
he  was  not  at  home.  A  son  was  there,  how- 
ever, who  listened  to  his  story,  but  gave  him 
soon  to  understand,  that  he  put  ho  faith  in  his 
representations,  as  he  had  never  lieard  of  any 
such  relations  as  he  told  of  in  America.  lie 
observed,  moreover,  that  he  resembled  one  of 
the  family,  who  had  been  absent  some  years 
in  the  East  Indies,  and  whom  they  were  ex- 
tremely anxious  to  see,  assuring  him  that,  if 
he  were  really  the  person,  he  would  be  re- 
ceived with  open  arms.  This  was  a  very  un- 
lucky interview,  for  nothing  ever  raised  Led- 
yard's  anger  to  so  high  a  pitch,  as  a  suspicion 
expressed  or  implied  of  his  integrity  and  hon- 
est intentions.  He  seemed,  from  that  moment, 
determined  to  prosecute  his  inquiry  after  his 
family  connections  no  further,  but  to  shun  all 
that  bore  the  name.  The  son  pressed  him  to 
remain  till  his  father  should  return,  but  he 
abruptly  left  the  house,  and  never  went  back. 

Some  time  afterwards,  when  he  had  gained 
acquaintances  of  respectable  name  in  London, 
to  whom  he  related  his  story,  they  went  with 
H  to  tlie  same  gentleman,  telling  him,  that  the 
young  man  seemed  honest,  and  they  doubted 
not  the'  truth  of  what  lie  had  stated.  The 
gentleman  refused  at  first  to  credit  him,  unless 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


49 


e  house, 
lied  that 
re,  how- 
jave  him 
th  ill  his 
i  of  any 
ca.      He 

one  of 
me  years 
were  ex- 

that,  if 
i  be  re- 
very  uii- 
sed  Led- 
suspicion 
and  hon- 
momeut, 
after   his 

shun  all 
d  him  to 
,  but  he 
ent  back, 
id  gained 

London, 
;rent  willi 
,  that  the 
f  doubted 
3d.  Tlie 
im,  unless 


he  would  bring  some  written  evidence.  Upon 
further  inquiry,  however,  he  was  better  satis- 
fied, and  sent  for  Ledyard  to  come  to  his 
house.  This  invitation  was  declined  in  no 
very  gracious  manner :  and  when  money  was 
sent  to  him  afterwards  by  the  same  person, 
who  had  heard  that  he  was  in  distress,  he  re- 
jected it  with  great  indignation,  and  command- 
ed the  bearer  to  carry  it  back  to  his  master, 
;  and  tell  him  that  he  belonged  not  to  the  race 
A  of  the  Ledyards.  Such  was  the  end  of  his 
dreams  about  his  rich  relations,  and  it  must 
be  acknowledged,  that  his  own  haughty  spirit 
seeii:s  to  have  been  the  chief  enemy  to  his 
success.  He  would,  probably,  have  called  it 
magnanimous  self-respect ;  and,  name  it  as  we 
will,  since  it  operated  wholly  against  himself, 
he  must  certainly  be  freed  from  any  charge 
of  mean  motives  or  selfish  ends. 

It  was  just  at  this  time,  that  Captain  Cook 
was  making  preparation  for  his  third  and  last 
voyage  round  the  world.  So  successful  had  he 
been  in  his  former  expeditions,  and  so  loud 
was  the  sound  of  his  fame,  that  the  whole 
country  was  awake  to  his  new  undertaking, 
and  the  general  sensation  was  siich,  as  to  in- 
spire adventurous  minds  with  a  wish  to  par- 
ticipate in  its  glory.  Nothing  could  more  ex- 
actly accord  with  the  native  genius  and  cher- 
VOL.   xiv.  4 


^i 


If.t' 


•"  4 

^  :    I 

.til    ■.,  '  ,  '1. 

:  iM^I":  ill 


■!?'l,l 


■itJiHiliii'li 

Mte 


^  '1  i!:ii;id:H 


I'i 


lii!:i: 


Mi!'i''fe!i;. 


1 


■mi 


•  ''iti  ■!  Ill' ' 

■  IS 

liiiiii 


:il:; 


II.  I* 


tiW 


■■Mm 


■:"M' 
'itiililli: 


50 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY, 


ished  feelings  of  Ledyard.  As  a  first  step 
towards  becoming  connected  with  this  expedi- 
tion, he  enlisted  in  the  marine  service,  and 
then,  by  his  address,  he  gained  an  introduction 
to  Captain  Cook.  It  may  be  presumed,  tliat 
on  an  occasion  of  so  much  moment  to  him, 
he  would  set  himself  forward  to  the  best  ad- 
vantage ;  and  he  had  great  power  in  recom- 
mending himself  to  the  favor  of  others,  when- 
ever he  chose  to  put  it  in  action.  His  manly 
form,  mild  but  animated  and  expressive  eye, 
perfect  self-possession,  a  boldness  not  obtrusive, 
but  showing  a  consciousness  of  his  proper 
dignity,  an  independent  spirit,  and  a  glow  of 
enthusiasm  giving  life  to  his  conversation  and 
his  whole  deportment ;  these  were  traits  which 
could  not  escape  so  discriminating  an  eye  as 
that  of  Cook  ;  they  formed  a  rare  combination 
peculiarly  suited  to  the  hardships  and  perils  of 
his  daring  enterprise.  They  gained  the  confi- 
dence of  the  great  navigator,  who  immediately 
took  him  into  his  service,  and  promoted  him 
to  be  a  corporal  of  ma/ines. 

In  this  capacity  he  sailed  from  England  ; 
but  tradition  reports,  on  what  authority  I  know 
not,  that  he  was  in  due  time  raised  to  the 
post  of  sergeant.  That  he  should  have  been 
willing  to  undertake  so  long  a  voyage,  in  so 
humble  a  station,  can    be   accounted   for  only 


^ 


^i«|- 


Mil 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


51 


irst  step 
J  expedi- 
rice,  and 
roduction 
led,   that 

to  him, 
best  ad- 
1  recom- 
fs,  when- 
[is  manly 
isive  eye, 
obtrusive, 
is    proper 

glow  of 
ation  and 
its  which 
1  eye  as 
rnbmation 

perils  of 
the  confi- 
mediately 
loted  him 

England ; 
;y  I  know 
d  to  the 
lave  been 
ige,  in  so 
for  only 


'\IA 


from  his  burning  desire  to  be  connected  with 
the  expedition.  His  skill  in  nautical  matters 
was  not  yet  such  as  to  qualify  him  for  a 
higher  place,  even  if  he  had  been  able  to  ex- 
hibit stronger  pretensions  through  the  agency 
and  influence  of  friends.  Bnt  he  was  in  the 
midst  of  strangers,  without  any  other  claims 
to  notice,  than  such  as  he  presented  in  his 
own  person.  These  were  his  only  passport  to 
the  favor  of  Cook,  and,  in  relying  on  them,  iio 
one  was  ever  deceived. 


CHAPTER  HI. 


Sails  for  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  thence  to 
New  Holland  and  New  Zealand.  —  Manners 
and  Peculiarities  of  the  People.  —  Omai^  the 
Otaheitan.  —  Departs  from  New  Zealand,  and 
visits  newly  discovered  Islands.  —  Arrival  at  the 
Friendly  Islands.  —  People  of  Tongataboo.  — 
Ledyard  passes  a  Night  with  the  King.  —  Char- 

•  acter  and  Habits  of  the  Natives.  —  Their  PrO' 
pensity  to  Thieving.  —  Departure  from  Ton- 
gataboo. 

The  particulars  of  this  voyage  have  been 
so  often  repeated  from  the  official  narrative, 
and  are   so    well    known,  that    any  formal  at- 


52 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


hi  .f  i' 


(r-'V 


'  '. ':  iili 


,  ;r'n!i 


^''i;*if:| 


■•If 


tempt  to  give  a  connected  series  of  events 
would  be  superfluous  and  without  interest.  I 
shall,  therefore,  chiefly  confine  myself  to  such 
incidents  as  came  under  our  traveller's  obser- 
vation, and  to  such  remarks  and  reflections  of 
his  own,  as  indicate  his  opinions  and  the  char- 
acter of  his  mind.  He  kept  a  private  journal 
of  the  whole  voyage,  but  on  the  return  of  the 
expedition,  before  any  person  had  landed,  all 
papers  of  this  description  were  taken  away 
from  both  officers  and  men,  by  order  of  the 
commander,  and  Ledyard's  journal  among  the 
rest.  This  precaution  was  necessary  to  pre- 
vent an  imperfect  account  of  the  voyage  going 
abroad,  before  one  could  be  issued  under  the 
sanction  of  the  Admiralty.* 

Ledyard  never  recovered  his  papers ;  out 
when  he  returned  to  Hartford,  more  than  two 
years  after  the  termination  of  the  voyage,  his 
friends  induced  him  to  write  the  short  ac- 
count, which  appeared  with  his  name.  To 
satisfy  public  curiosity  till  a  complete  work 
could  be  prepared,  a  very  brief  sketch  of  thp 
voyage  in  a  single    volume    had    already  been 

*  In  a  review  of  the  first  London  edition  of  this  Me- 
moir, in  the  London  Quarterly  Revieio,  understood  to  have 
been  written  by  Sir  John  Barrow,  it  is  stated  that  parts 
of  Ledyard's  original  journal  are  still  preserved  in  the 
Admiralty. 


JOHN  LEDYARD. 


53 


-i 


published  by  authority  in  England.  This  vol- 
ume Ledyard  had  procured,  and  he  relied  on 
It  for  dates,  distances,  the  courses  of  the  ves- 
sels, and  for  other  particulars  serving  to  revive 
his  recollection  of  what  he  had  experienced 
and  witnessed.  Extracts  are  made  without 
alteration  in  two  or  three  instances,  and  sev- 
eral of  the  last  pages  are  literally  copied. 
With  no  other  written  materials  Ledyard  pro- 
duced his  manuscript  journal,  which  he  sold 
lo  Mr.  Nathaniel  Patten,  publisher  in  Hartford, 
for  twenty  guineas.  It  was  printed  in  a  duo- 
decimo volume  containing  a  chart,  and  a  ded- 
ication to  Governor  Trumbull,  expressive  of 
the  author's  gratitude  for  the  generosity  and 
kindness,  which  he  had  received  from  that 
veteran  patriot. 

A  narrative  thus  drawn  up  must,  of  course, 
be  in  many  respects  imperfect ;  but  the  narrator 
makes  no  high  pretensions.  He  never  taxes 
our  faith  beyond  the  obvious  bounds  of  prob- 
ability, nor  calls  our  attention  to  hearsay  re- 
ports and  speculations  of  others.  He  describes 
what  he  saw  and  heard,  and  utters  his  own 
sentiments.  In  a  few  instances,  he  varies  from 
the  accounts  afterwards  published  in  England  : 
but  these  commonly  relate  either  to  occur- 
rences, as  to  which    he    had  a  better  opportu- 


54 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


.  -^      "fill 

■     I'.      '■'  t'ltj  I 

•'■■'■I'j.i.'iM, 

■»*(  ■  ''■  „ii 
Mil: 


m 


"ill 


m 


.[■  :i;;i 


4 


nity  for  personal  knowledge,  or  concerning 
which,  for  various  reasons,  it  was  the  policy 
of  the  leaders  of  the  expedition  to  preserve 
silence.  The  train  of  events  at  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  which  led  to  the  death  of  Captain 
Cook,  is  narrated  by  Ledyard  in  a  maimer 
more  consistent  and  natural,  than  api)ears  in 
any  other  account  of  it.  The  precipitancy  of 
the  officers,  and  of  Cook  particularly,  or  at 
least  their  want  of  caution,  which  was  the 
primary  cause  of  the  tragical  issue,  was  kept 
out  of  sight  by  the  authorized  narrators,  and  a 
mystery  long  hung  over  that  catastrophe,  ow- 
ing to  the  absence  of  any  obvious  coherency 
between  causes  and  effects.  On  this  puint 
Ledyard's  narrative  is  full  and  satisfactory,  us 
will    be    seen    in   its  proper  place. 

As  a  proof  of  our  traveller's  activity  of 
mind,  and  his  ardor  of  inquiry,  during  this  voy- 
age, I  shall  here  quote  a  passage  from  a  work 
recently  published  by  Captain  James  Burney, 
entitled  "■  A  Chronological  History  of  North- 
eastern Voyages  of  Discovery."  The  author 
of  this  book  was  a  lieutenant  under  Cock  in 
his  two  last  voyages,  son  of  Dr.  Burney,  and 
consequently  brother  of  Madame  d'Arblay,  the 
celebrated  novelist.  He  is  repeatedly  men- 
tioned in  Ledyard's  journal,  and  was  a  very 
enterprising  officer.      The  estimation  in  which 


^ 


JOHN     LE  DT  A  RD. 


55 


cerning 

policy 

"E    , 

ire  serve 

f 

ndwich 

M 

Captain 

# 

manner 

■:i 

)ears  in 

mcy  of 

,  oi"    at 

/as    the 

- 

IS   kept 

ii 

3,  and  a 

le,   ow- 

l^.erency 

s    puint 

tory,  us 

nty    of 

lis  voy- 

a  work 

Burney, 

' 

North- 

J ' 

author 

IJook  in 

' 

ey,  and 

ay,   the 

■ 

f    men- 

i 

a  very 

I  which 

oui  hero  was  hold  by  him  will  appear  from 
the  following  extract,  as  well  as  from  other 
pLrts  of  the  work. 

"  With  what  ed.ication  I  know  not,"  says 
Captain  Bnrney,  "but  with  an  ardent  disposi- 
tion, Ledyard  had  a  passion  for  lofty  senti- 
ment and  description.  When  corporal  of  ma- 
rines on  board  of  the  Resolution,  after  the 
death  of  Captain  Cook,  he  proffered  his  ser- 
vices to  Captain  Clerke  to  undertake  the  office 
of  historiographer  to  our  expedition,  and  pre- 
sented a  specimen,  which  described  the  man- 
ners of  the  Society  Islanders,  and  the  kind  of 
■ife  led  by  our  people  whilst  among  them. 
He  was  not  aware  how  many  candidates  he 
would  have  to  contend  with,  if  the  office  to 
which  he  aspired  had  been  vacant;  perhaps 
not  with  fewer  than  with  every  one  in  the 
two  ships  who  kept  journals.  Literary  ambi- 
tion and  disposition  to  authorship  led  us  in 
each  ship  to  set  up  a  weekly  paper.  When 
the  paper  in  either  ship  was  ready  for  deliv- 
ery, a  signal  was  made,  and,  when  answered 
by  a  similar  signal  from  the  other  ship,  Cap- 
tain Cook,  if  the  weather  .was  fine,  would  good- 
naturedly  let  a  boat  be  hoisted  out  to  make 
the  exchange,  and  he  was  always  glad  to  read 
our  paper,  but  never  favored  our  editors  with 
the    contribution    of    a    paragraph.      I    believe 


I    ■  ■■'l-il 


M      'I 


i'fi'k.:; 


ni. 


\  tit 


.  ^:'.'/-;^ 


I- 


■■•'i 


■a'.    \     i;ii 


■  ■  Kf  ■'■'■'  I 

I'M'' 


56 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


none  of  these  papers  have  been  saved,  nor  da 
I  remember  by  what  titles  we  distinguished 
them.  Led  yard's  performance  was  not  cri> 
icized  in  our  paper,  as  that  would  have  en- 
titled him  to  a  freedom  of  controversy  not  con- 
sistent with  military  subordination.  His  ideas 
were  thought  too  sentimental,  and  his  language 
too  florid.  No  one,  however,  doubted  that  his 
feelings  were  in  accord  with  his  expressions; 
and  the  same  is  to  be  said  of  the  little,  which 
remains  of  what  he  has  since  written,  more 
worthy  of  being  preserved,  and  which  its  wor- 
thiness will  preserve,  and  particularly  of  his 
celebrated  commendation  of  women  in  his  Si- 
berian Tour." 

Ledyard's  contributions  to  the  paper  here 
mentioned,  and  his  account  of  the  Society 
Islanders,  were  probably  taken  from  him  with 
his  manuscript  journal,  as  I  have  found  no 
remnants  of  them  among  his  papers.  His 
printed  Journal  contains  a  graphic  and  ani- 
mated description  of  the  Society  LJands,  but 
it  was  evidently  written  from  recollection,  like 
the  rest  of  the  volume.  This  testimony  of 
Captain  Burney  in  favor  of  his  habits  of  ob- 
servation and  literary  industry,  may  justly  in- 
spire confidence  in  his  writings. 

The  last  expedition  under  Captain  Cook,  and 
the  one   in  which   our  traveller  was    engaged, 


4J 


I 

*4" 


■W9-: 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


57 


nor  do 
ruished 
>t    cri> 
.ve    en- 
lot  con- 
s   ideas 
Liiguage 
hat  liB 
issions  • 
,  which 
1,    more 
Is  wor- 
of  his 
his  Si- 

er  here 
Society 
ni  with 
und  no 
His 
id  ani- 
ds,  but 
on,  like 
lony  of 
of  ob- 
stly  in- 

•ok,  and 
n gaged, 


1 


■^ 

1 
■t 


left  England  on  the  12th  of  July,  1776.  It 
consisted  of  two  ships,  the  Resolution  and 
Discovery,  the  former  commanded  by  Captain 
Cook,  and  the  latter  by  Captain  Clcke.  After 
touching  at  TenerifFe,  they  proceeded  to  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  came  to  anchor  ii 
Table  Bay,  where  they  were  to  refit,  lay  in  a 
new  stock  of  provisions,  and  prepare  for  en- 
countering the  inconveniences  and  dangers  of 
a  long  voyage  in  the  great  Southern  Ocean, 
with  the  certainty  that  many  months  must 
elapse,  before  they  could  hope  to  arrive  again 
in  a  port  of  civilized  people. 

Several  days  were  passed  here  in  getting  all 
things  in  readiness;  the  men  of  sciencfe  em- 
ployed themselves  in  short  excursions  into  the 
country ;  provisions  were  collected  by  the  prop- 
er officers,  and  the  sailors  were  t^^y  at  their 
daily  tasks.  Last  of  all  were  taken  on  board 
various  live  animals,  designed  to  be  left  at  the 
islands  where  they  lid  not  exist,  making,  in 
connection  with  those  brought  from  England, 
a  motley  collection  of  horses,  cattle,  sheep, 
goats,  hogs,  dogs,  cati  hares,  rabbits,  monkeys, 
ducks,  geese,  turkeys,  and  peacocks.  Thus, 
says  our  voyager,  "  did  we  resemble  the  ark, 
and  appear  as  though  we  were  going  as  well 
to  stock  as  to  discover  a  new  world."  iEsop 
might   have  conversed  for  weeks  with  such  a 


..^ 


I  1 :;' 


%'k 


5S 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


:^:fi.;[::i.|i 


>m 


! 


>k: 


■Ml!  ■ 


.'  Hi : 


ii 


■;r;ii,itr>''iM  i 


ill! 


congregated  multitude.  The  monkeys  and 
peacocks  seem  to  hare  been  out  of  place  in 
this  assembly  of  sober  and  useful  animals,  and, 
in  the  end,  they  did  little  credit  to  their  com- 
munity. The  monkeys  never  ceased  from 
mischief,  and  the  gay  attire  of  the  peacocks 
tempted  a  chief  of  Tongataboo  to  steal  and 
carry  them  off. 

On  the  1st  of  December,  Cook  departed 
from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  proceeded 
in  a  southeasterly  direction,  intending  to  shape 
his  course  around  Jie  southern  extremity  of 
New  Holland.  Aftc  sailing  twenty-five  days 
and  passing  two  islands,  the  tops  of  which 
were  covered  with  snow,  although  it  was  mid- 
summer in  those  latitudes,  he  came  to  anchor 
at  an  island,  which  had  been  recently  discov- 
ered by  Kerguelen,  a  French  navigator.  A 
bottle  was  found  suspended  by  a  wire  between 
two  rocks,  sealed,  and  containing  a  piece  of 
parchment,  on  which  was  written,  in  French 
and  Latin,  an  account  of  Kerguelen's  voyage 
and  discovery.  The  island  was  desolate,  with- 
out inhabitants,  trees,  or  shrubs.  A  little  grass 
was  obtained  for  the  cattle,  and  a  species  of 
vegetable  was  found  resembling  a  wild  cab- 
bage, but  of  no  value.  It  rained  profusely, 
streams  of  fresh  water  came  down  from  the 
hills,  and    the   empty  casks    were    replenished. 


m 
"M 


0 


0 


s  and 
lace  in 
Is,  and, 
r  com- 
from 
^acocks 
!al    and 

eparted 
)ceeded 
)  shape 
lity  of 
e  days 
which 
IS  mid- 
anchor 
discov- 
tor.  A 
letween 
iece  of 
French 
voyage 
3,  with- 
le  grass 
cies  of 
Id  cab- 
ofusely, 
om  the 
3nished. 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


59 


The  shore  was  covered  with  seals  and  sea- 
dcgs,  the  former  of  which,  apparently  uncon- 
scious of  danger,  were  killed  without  difficulty, 
and  they  afforded  a  seasonable  supply  of  oil 
for  lamps  and  other  purposes.  Vast  flocks  of 
birds  hovered  around,  and  the  penguins,  so  lit- 
tle did  they  understand  the  character  of  their 
visitors,  would  allow  themselves  to  be  ap- 
proached and  knocked  down  with  clubs.  Man 
was  an  enemy,  whose  sanguinary  prowess 
these  tenants  of  the  lonely  island  had  never 
learnt  to  fear,  and  the  simple  penguin  received 
his  death  blow  with  a  composure  and  uncon- 
cern, that  would  have  immortalized  a  stoic 
philosopher. 

The  sailors  were  indulged  in  celebrating 
Christmas  at  Kerguelen's  Island,  after  which 
the  ships  sailed,  and  the  next  harbor  to  be 
gained  was  Adventure  Bay,  in  Van  Diemen's 
Land,  being  at  the  southern  limits  of  New 
Holland.  As  no  discoveries  were  to  be  at- 
tempted during  this  run,  they  proceeded  di- 
rectly to  the  point  of  destination,  at  which 
they  safely  arrived  within  less  than  two  months 
after  leaving  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 

The  ships  being  moored  in  this  bay,  called 
by  Tasman,  who  discovered  it,  Frederic  Hen- 
ry's Bay,  the  sailors  were  sent  out  in  parties 
to  procure  wood,  water,  and  grass,  all  of  ^hich 


rfP 


:«r 


'Jb     ■; 


I  I 


!:l 


Hi,  ; 


!  l?i!.:V''r!' 


,1 » 


il' ' 


I  ';!:( 


■  itlflf 


";:|hi|! 


60 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


existed  there  in  great  plenty.  No  inhabitants 
appeared,  although  columfts  of  smoke  had  been 
seen  here  and  there  rising  through  the  woods 
at  some  distance,  affording  a  sign  that-  people 
were  in  the  neighborhood.  After  a  day  or 
tAVO,  the  natives  came  down  to  the  beach  in 
small  parties,  men,  women,  and  children ;  but 
they  seemed  the  most  wretched  of  human  be- 
ings, wearing  no  clothes,  and  carrying  with 
them  nothing  bat  a  rude  stick  about  three 
feet  long,  and  sharpened  at  one  end.  Their 
skin  was  black,  hair  curly,  and  the  beards  of 
the  men,  as  well  as  their  hair,  besmeared  with 
a  red  oily  substance.  They  were  inoffensive, 
neither  manifesting  fear,  nor  offering  annoy- 
ance  to  their  visitors.     When  bread  was  given 


them,    it    was    thrown    away    without 


being 


r/m 


tasted,  although  they  were  made  to  under- 
stand that  it  was  to  be  eaten;  the  same  they 
did  with  fish,  which  had  been  caught  in  the 
harbor ;  but  they  accepted  birds,  and  intimated 
a  fondness  for  that  kind  of  food.  When  a 
gun  was  fired,  they  all  ran  off  like  wild  deer 
to  the  woods,  and  were  seen  no  more  that 
day;  but  their  fright  was  not  of  long  dura- 
tion, for  they  came  again  the  next  morning 
with  as  little  unconcern  as  ever. 

In  all  respects,  these  people  •  appeared  in  the 
lowest  stage  of  human  advancement.     "  They 


n 


iiii ' 


^ 


JOHN     L  E  D  Y  A  11 1)  , 


61 


are  the  only  people,"  says  Ledyard,  "  who 
are  known  to  go  with  their  persons  entirely 
naked,  that  have  ever  yet  been  discovered. 
Amidst  tiie  most  stately  groves  of  wood,  they 
have  neither  weapons  of  defence,  nor  any 
other  species  of  instruments  applicable  to  the 
various  purposes  of  life  ;  contiguous  to  the  sea, 
they  have  no  canoes;  and  exposed  from  the 
nature  of  the  climate  to  the  inclemency  of  the 
seasons,  as  well  as  to  the  annoyances  of  the 
beasts  of  the  forest,  they  have  no  houses  to 
retire  to,  but  the  temporary  shelter  of  a  few 
pieces  of  old  bark  laid  transversely  over  some 
small  poles.  They  appear,  also,  to  be  inactive, 
indolent,  and  unaffected  with  the  least  curi- 
osity." Cook  remarked,  that  the  natives  here 
resembled  those,  whom  he  had  seen  in  his 
former  voyage  on  the  north  part  of  New  Hol- 
land ;  and  from  this  and  other  circumstances 
it  was  inferred,  that  New  Holland  from  that 
point  northward  was  not  divided  by  any  strait. 
Subsequent  discoveries  overthrew  this  conjec- 
ture, and  it  has  since  been  made  known,  that 
Van  Diemen's  Land  is  an  island  separated 
from  New  Holland  by  a  passage,  or  strait, 
nearly  one  hundred  miles  broad,  and  contain- 
ing many  small  islands.  It  is  remarkable,  that 
no   resemblance    has    been  discovered    between 


;  i  ■  ' ! 


^ 


62 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY 


'"Ml 


11  ;,!  ,,  IT' 


I    1 


■^iy 


i\  -''tip.. I " 


v.,! 


the    language    of    the    natives    here     and    that 
spoken  by   the  New  Hollanders. 

On  Van  Dien^ien's  Island  are  now  some  -^f 
the  most  nourishing  settlements  in  the  British 
dominions.  The  wilderness  is  disappearing  he- 
fore  the  strong  arm  of  enterprise,  and,  under 
the  hand  of  culture,  the  hills  and  valleys  yield 
in  abundance  all  the  products  common  to  sim- 
ilar latitudes  in  the  north.  Emigrants  from 
England  annually  flock  to  that  country,  invest 
their  capital  in  lands,  and  engage  in  agricul- 
tural pursuits.  Towns  have  been  built,  and 
commerce  established.  Wheat,  maize,  wool, 
cattle,  and  other  articles,  are  largely  exported  ; 
and  there  is  hardly  recorded  in  history  an  in- 
stance of  a  new  colony  having  increased  so 
rapidly  in  numbers  and  wealth.  The  wild 
men,  like  our  North  American  Indians,  retreat 
and  leave  their  native  soil  to  a  better  destiny. 

When  Cook  had  provided  his  ships  with 
wood  and  water,  they  were  unmoored,  and 
their  course  directed  to  New  Zealand,  where 
they  entered  a  cove  in  Queen  Charlotte's 
Sound.  Here  they  remained  a  month,  which 
afforded  time  for  observations,  and  for  laying 
in  such  provisions  as  were  found  in  the  coun- 
try. New  Zealand  consists  of  two  islands, 
which  are  situate  between  parallels  of  latitude 
on  the  south  of  the  equator,  nearly  correspond- 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


03 


that 


ing  with  those  of  the  United  States  on  the 
north,  thus  having  a  variable  chmate,  and  a 
soil  suited  to  most  of  the  productions  of  tem- 
perate regions.  In  the  character  of  the  inhab- 
itants are  exhibited  contrasts  never  perceived 
in  any  other  people.  They  are  cannibals,  de- 
vouring human  victims  with  eagerness  and  de- 
light, ferocious  beyond  example  in  their  wars, 
deadly  in  their  revenge,  and  insatiable  in  their 
thirst  for  the  blood  of  their  enemies  ;  yet  they 
have  many  of  the  opposite  traits,  strong  at- 
tachment to  friends,  with  a  quick  sensibility 
to  their  sufferings,  and  grief  inconsolable  at  the 
death  of  a  relative ;  nor  are  they  devoid  of 
generosity,  or  unsusceptible  of  thg  tender  pas- 
sion. 

Living  as  they  do  in  a  temperate  climate, 
they  are  an  athletic,  hardy  race  of  people, 
Avhose  progress  in  refinement  bears  no  propor- 
tion to  their  natural  powers  of  body  and 
mind ;  and  thus,  no  proper  balance  being  main- 
tained, the  contending  elements  of  human  na- 
ture, the  propensities,  passions,  and  affections, 
shoot  forth  into  the  wildest  extremes.  How 
they  should  differ  so  entirely  from  their  neigh- 
bors, Che  New  Hollanders,  who  are  in  nearly 
the  same  external  condition,  is  a  question 
upon  which  the  curious  may  speculate,  but 
will  hardly  come  to  a  satisfactory   conclusiojx 


:m 


i''    I'; 


\u 


64 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


■-ill I  . 


.Sff! 

I'    .'-WkA 


■Jifi '. 

•  s'k ; 


Plausible  reasons  may,  nevertheless,  be  ad- 
duced to  prove,  that  the  New  Zealanders  and 
New  Hollanders,  notwithstanding  their  proxim- 
ity, have  originated  from  stocks  widely  remote. 
While  the  ships  lay  at  anchor  in  Q,ueen 
Charlotte's  Sound,  a  singular  love  adventure 
occurred  between  a  young  English  sailor  and 
a  New  Zealand  girl,  the  particulars  of  which 
are  related  in  Ledyard's  journal,  as  they  are 
also  in  Cook's  Voyages,  and  which  prove  the 
softer  sex  among  savages,  even  the  daughters 
of  cannibals,  to  be  capable  of  deep  affection 
and  strong  attachment.  An  intimacy  was  con- 
tracted between  a  sailor  and  a  native  girl  about 
fourteen  years  of  age,  which  grew  stronger 
from  day  to  day,  till,  at  length,  all  the  time 
he  could  spare  from  his  duties  was  devoted  to 
her  society.  He  furnished  her  with  combs  to 
decorate  her  hair,  and  with  ornaments  for  her 
person  ;  and,  to  make  himself  more  attractive 
in  her  eyes,  he  submitted  to  be  tattooed  ac- 
cording to  the  custom  of  the  country.  His 
passion  was  reciprocated  in  the  most  ardent 
and  artless  manner  by  the  maiden,  Gowauna- 
hee,  whom  no  conventional  fules  had  taught 
to  conceal  the  emotions  of  nature ;  and,  al- 
though they  understood  not  each  other's  lan- 
guage, yet  love  whispered  in  accents,  which 
they  found  no  difficulty  in  comprehending. 


i! 


^ 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


65 


ad- 
atid 


al- 


Thiis  their  days  and  hours  flew  rapidly 
away,  till  the  time  of  separation  approached, 
Gowannahee  was  much  distressed  when  such 
an  event  was  hinted  at ;  she  would  throw  her 
arms  around  her  lover's  neck,  and  insist  that 
he  should  not  go  ;  and  such  were  the  allur- 
ing arts  she  used,  and  such  the  willingnesa  of 
the  youth  to  be  led  by  them,  that  he  resoivcd 
to  desert  from  the  ship  and  remam  behind. 
He  contrived  to  remove  his  clothing  and  other 
effects  on  shore,  and  to  escape  by  the  strata- 
gem of  dressing  himself  in  the  costume  of  the 
natives  and  minghng  in  the  crowd,  just  as  or- 
ders were  given  to  sail,  and  the  New  Zea- 
landers  were  recjuired  to  leave  the  ships. 
When  the  roll  was  called  to  ascertain  if  all 
hands  were  on  board,  his  absence  was  discov- 
ered. The  cause  was  easily  apprehended ;' and 
some  of  the  officers  were  disposed  to  let  such 
an  instance  of  true  love  have  its  reward,  and 
not  to  disturb  the  enamored  sailor  in  his 
dreams  of  future  felicity  among  the  savages 
of  New  Zealand.  The  loss  sentimental  Cook 
was  not  moved  by  these  mild  counsels ;  he 
saw  mischief  in  such  a  precedent,  and  he  was 
inflexible  ;  a  guard  of  marines  was  despatched 
to  search  for  the  truant,  and  bring  him  back 
to  duty. 

He  had  proceeded   to   the    interior    and    se- 

VOL.    XIV.  5 


C6 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


;.:a 


'  ■■.<•■ 
i  If 


creted  himself  with  his  faithful  Gowannahee, 
but  his  hiding-place  was  at  last  discovered. 
As  soon  as  she  perceived  their  intention  to 
take  him  away,  she  was  overwhelmed  with 
,  anguish ;  and,  at  the  parting  scene  on  the 
beach,  she  yielded  herself  up  to  expressions 
of  grief  and  despair,  which  the  stoutest  heart 
could  not  witness  unmoved.  The  young  sailor 
was  examined  and  tried  for  his  misdemean- 
or ;  but  Cook  was  so  much  amused  with  the 
schemes  he  had  devised  for  himself,  and  the 
picture  he  hn'i  drawn  of  his  future  prospects 
and  greatnesb,  as  the  husband  of  Gowannahee, 
and  a  chief  of  renown,  that  he  forbore  to  ag- 
gravate the  pains  of  disappointed  hope  by  any 
formal    punishment. 

Recent  observations  have  confirmed  all  that 
was  said  by  Cook  and  his  companions  of  the 
New  Zealanders.  English  missionaries  have 
for  some  years  past  been  stationed  among 
them,  and  possessed  the  means  of  becoming 
perfectly  acquainted  with  their  character  and 
habits.  They  have  witnessed  their  banquets 
of  human  flesh,  their  extremes  of  passion,  their 
savage  barbarity  at  one  time,  and  their  docile, 
affectionate  temper  and  keen  sensibility  at  an- 
other. War  is  their  highest  delight,  and,  in 
pursuing  an  enemy,  nothing  of  the  human  be- 
ing  seems   left,  except   his    reason    maddened 


I 


■*■ 


m 


m-  '■■ 


JOHN     LEDYAHD. 


67 


with  revenge,  and  making  him  adroit  in  the 
work  of  death.  In  several  instances,  boats'  and 
ships'  crews  have  been  cut  off  and  devoured 
by  them. 

Yet  these  people  are  superstitious  and  full 
of  religious  fear,  imagining  themselves  to  be 
surrounded  by  invisible  spirits,  who  have  power 
over  them,  and  who  must  be  conciliated  by 
prayers  and  ceremonies  ;  who  control  the  ele- 
mentSf  bring  rain  on  the  land,  and  rouse  up 
the  winds  and  waves  at  sea.  The  missionaries 
have  known  persons  become  so  frantic,  at  the 
death  of  a  near  relation,  as  to  commit  suicide ; 
and  it  is  a  common  thing  for  them  to  wound 
and  mangle  their  bodies  in  a  frightful  manner 
on  such  occasions.  When  Mr.  Marsden  made 
his  second  missionary  touf  to  those  islands, 
after  having  been  away  two  or  three  years, 
his  old  acquaintances  burst  into  tears  in  talk- 
ing of  their  friends,  who  had  died  during  his 
absence.  History  does  not  acquaint  us  with 
more  eminent  examples  of  humanity  and  pious 
eftorts,  of  resolution  and  self-denial,  than  are 
manifested  in  the  missionaries,  who  have  for- 
saken even  the  common  comforts  of  civilized 
life,  and  settled  down  with  a  determination  to 
pass  their  days  in  this  region  of  moral  dark- 
ness and  human  debasement. 

While    Cook  was  at  New  Zealand,   he   was 


i     !l 


I    ,1 

...ii 


68 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


greatly  assisted  in  his  intercourse  with  the 
people  by  Omai,  a  native  of  the  Society 
Islands,  whom  he  had  taken  to  England  on 
a  former  voyage,  and  who  was  now  retnrning 
to  his  country,  loaded  with  presents  from  the 
king,  and. other  persons  whom  curiosity  had 
drawn  around  him  in  Great  Britain.  Although 
Omai  had  never  before  seen  a  New  Zealander, 
yet  the  language  so  much  resembled  his  own, 
that  he  could  easily  converse  with  the  inhab- 
itants. As  he  knew  English,  he  thus  became 
a  ready  interpreter.  This  was  an  advantage, 
which  Cook  had  never  been  able  to  enjoy  on 
any  former  occasion. 

The  vessels  weighed  anchor  and  departed 
from  dueen  Charlotte's  Sound,  destined  to 
OtaVieite,  or,  as  it'  is  now  called,  Tahiti,  the 
largest  of  the  Society  Islands,  and  about  fif- 
teen hundred  miles  distant  from  New  Zealand. 
Head  winds  and  boisterous  weather  forced 
them  out  of  their  course ;  grass  and  water  for 
the  cattle,  as  well  as  fresh  provisions  for  the 
men,  began  to  fail ;  and  it  was  thought  best 
to  bear  away  for  the  Friendly  Islands,  where 
a  supply  could  be  at  once  obtained.  On  this 
passage,  they  fell  in  with  several  islands  never 
before  discovered,  but  their  shores  were  so 
closely  bound  with  coral  reefs  as  to  prevent 
the  approach  of  the   ships.     The  natives  came 


HI: 


'Plii 

J'   '111 


JOHN     li  K  D  Y  A  H  D  . 


69 


off  in  canoes,  and  brought  hogs  and  frnit, 
which  they  gave  in  exchange  for  articles  of 
little  value. 

A  small  party,  consisting  of  Mr.  Burney, 
three  or  four  other  officers,  and  Omai,  landed 
on  one  of  these  islands,  called  Watteeoo,  where 
they  were  immediately  plundered  of  everything 
they  had  about  them,  and  detained  through 
the  day.  Great  crowds  gathered  around,  and 
annoyed  them  much,  but  no  violence  was  of- 
fered to  their  persons.  Here  Oniai  was  aston- 
ished to  find  three  of  his  own  countrymen. 
Their  story  was  affecting.  Several  years  be- 
fore, they  had  set  off"  in  a  large  canoe,  with  a 
party  of  about  twenty  persons,  men,  women, 
and  children,  to  pass  from  Otaheitc  to  Ulietea, 
a  neighboring  island.  A  storm  overtook  them, 
and,  after  continuing  three  days,  drove  them  so 
far  out  to  sea,  that  they  knew  not  where 
they  were,  nor  what  course  to  steer.  Some 
of  the  women  and  children  had  perished  in 
the  storm,  and  others  were  so  much  exhausted 
as  to  survive  no  longer.  The  canoe  was  car- 
ried along  by  the  current  from  day  to  day ; 
water  and  provision  failed ;  some  of  the  sur- 
vivors died  of  hunger  and  fatigue ;  others,  in 
the  frenzy  of  despair,  jumped  overboard  and 
were  drowned  ;  and  after  thirteen  days,  when 
the    canoe    was    discovered  by   the  natives  of 


I     'r 


'i' 

■%',, 

1* 
11 

,.v 

,  S^-l  ".'■■ 

1 '  1  -■ 

■^'■K 

I " 

■*'■■  , 

1 1 

m',  1; 

.»|'  ; 
i"i:,;i 

' ; 

•4  .;: " 

'  ;' 

.',1:     :: 

•ill    ,,     ■ 

iil;  ^ 

' 

%l> 

\<.' 

::ty,: 

g. 


::  -1 


•j.-i 


' t 


70 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


Watteeoo,  it  contained  but  four  men,  and  these 
so  much  reduced  by  famine  and  suffering  as 
to  be  unconscious  of  their  situation,  and  scarce- 
ly to  be  distinguished  from  the  dead  bodies, 
with  which  they  were  promiscuously  lying,  in 
the  bottom  of  the  boat.  They  were  taken 
on  shore,  and  by  kind  treatment  they  gradu- 
ally recovered  their  consciousness  and  strength. 
One  had  since  died,  but  the  other  three  said 
they  were  happy  in  their  adopted  country, 
and  declined  Omai's  invitation  to  return  with 
him  to  their  native  islands,  adding  that  their 
nearest  relatives  had  perished  before  their  eyes 
on  the  disastrous  voyage,  and  it  would  only  bo 
renewing  their  grief  to  visit  again  the  places 
in  which  they  had  formerly  known  them. 

The  distance  between  Otaheite  and  Wat- 
teeoo is  more  than  fifteen  hundred  miles,  and 
this  voyar,e  of  a  canoe  affords  an  important 
fact  in  solving  the  great  problem,  which  has 
so  long  perplexed  geographers  and  speculating 
philosophers,  as  to  tUe  manner  in  which  the 
innumerable  clusters  of  islands  in  the  Pacific 
O^ean  have  been  peopled.  We  here  have 
proof  incontestable,  that  a  communication  be- 
tween remote  islands  was  possible,  even  by 
such  means  only  as  the  natives  themselves 
possessed.  This  single  fact,  in  short,  is  enough 
to  settle  the   question. 


';    »rr: 


ff 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


71 


After  touching  at  Anamoca,  and  resmaining 
some  days  at  the  Happaee  Islands,  Cook  came 
to  anchor  in  a  harbor  of  Tongataboo,  on  the 
9th  of  June.  Here  they  stayed  twenty-six  days, 
collecting  a  great  abundance  of  provisions,  and 
living  on  social  and  friendly  terms  with  the 
natives.  This  island  is  exceedingly  fertile, 
covered  with  fores' s  and  luxuriant  herbage. 
Agriculture  and  the  arts  of  life  were  carried 
to  a  much  greater  extent  here  than  at  New 
Zealand,  or  indeed  most  of  the  South  Soa 
Islands.  The  kind  disposition  of  the  people 
had  given  to  Tongataboo,  and  the  cluster  of 
islands  in  its  neighborhood,  the  name  of  the 
Friendly  Islands. 

Latei'  experience  has  proved,  that  they  had 
a  smaller  claim  to  this  distinction  than  was 
at  first  supposed.  It  is  very  probable,  however, 
twit  their  acquaintance  with  civilized  men  was 
the  principal  cause  of  their  apparent  change 
of  character.  They  learnt  new  vices  faster 
than  they  acquired  a  knowledge  of  their  crmi- 
inahty,  or  the  moral  power  of  resisting  temp- 
tation. Nowhere  have  the  missionaries  found 
their  situation  more  uncomfo/  lable,  or  their  task 
more  difficult,  than  at  the  Friendly  Islands. 
When  visited  by  Cook,  th'^  people  were  com- 
paratively amiable,  simple,  and  happy,  addicted 
to    the    weaknesses,    but    not    to    the    grosser 


I 


\ 


m 


■  lit 


ilf:- 


'[i' 


72 


-AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


crimes  of  the  savage  state ;  accustomed  to 
warlike  enterprises,  but  not  making  them,  as 
did  the  New  Zealanders,  the  chief  source  of 
their  pleasure,  and  the  great  business  of  their 
lives.  On  the  contrary,  they  had  amusements 
of  an  innocent  kind,  as  well  as  curious  reli- 
gious ceremonies,  which  occupied  much  of 
their  time,  and  were  suited  to  a  state  of  peace 
and  tranquillity.  These  were  often  exhibited, 
and  obviously  as  much  with  a  desire  to  please 
their  visitants,  as  to  show  off  their  skill  to  ad- 
vantage, or  .promote  their  own  gratification. 
The  king,  or  great  chief,  whose  name  was 
Poulaho,  treated  Cook  with  marked  respect, 
and  caused  all  his  people  to  do  the  same,  as 
far  as  he  could  exercise  his  power  to  that  end. 
Led  yard  describes  i»T  an  agreeable  manner  the 
scenes,  that  came  under  his  observation  at 
Tongataboo.  The  day  after  lauding,  it  was 
liis  duty  to  be  on  shore,  and  he  passed  the 
night  with  Poulaho,  who  had  declined  Cook's 
invitation  to  go  with  him  on   board. 

"It  was  just  dusk,"  says  Lcdyard,  "when 
they  parted,  and  as  I  had  been  present  during 
a  part  of  this  first  interview,  and  was  detained 
on  shore,  I  was  glad  he  did  not  go  off,  and 
asked  tiim  to  my  tent  :  but  Poulaho  chose 
rather  to  have  me  go  with  him  to  his  house, 
where  we    went    and    sat  down  together  with- 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


73 


to 


out  the  entrance.  We  had  been  here  but  a 
few  minutei],  before  one  of  the  natives  ad- 
vanced through  the  grove  to  the  skirts  of  the 
green,  and  there  haUed.  Poulaho  observed 
him,  and  told  me  he  wanted  him,  upon  which 
I  beckoned  to  the  Indian,  and  he  came  to  us. 
When  he  approached  Poulaho,  he  squatted 
down  upon  his  hams,  and  put  his  forehead  to 
the  sole  of  Poulaho's  foot,  and  then  received 
some  directions  from  him,  and  went  away,  and 
returned  again  very  soon  with  some  baked 
yams  and  fish  rolled  up  in  fresh  plantain 
leaves,  and  deposited  in  a  little  basket  made 
of  palm  leaves,  and  a  large  cocoanut  shell  full 
of  clean  fresh  water,  and  a  smaller  one  of  salt 
water.  These  he  set  down,  and  went  and 
brought  a  mess  of  the  same  kind,  and  set 
them  down  by  me.  Poulaho  then  desired  I 
would  eat ;  but  preferring  salt,  which  I  had 
in  the  tent,  to  the  sea  water  which  they  used, 
I  called  one  of  the  guard,  and  had  some  i( 
that  brought  me  to  eat  with  my  fish,  which 
was  really  most  delightfully  dressed,  and  of 
which  I  ate  very  heartily. 

"Their  animal  and  vegetable  food  is  dressed 
in  the  same  maimer  here,  as  at  the  southern 
and  northern  tropical  islands  throughout  these 
seas,  being  all  baked  among  hot  stones  laid  in 
a  hole,  and   covered  over  first  with  leaves  and 


:f. 


I 


:  li 


*.■»: 


!:■  ,■ 


;   i 


<i-K 


'.:^5;''';^ 


'!  ■ :  ''iSi 


74 


AMERICAN     BlOGRAPHir. 


then  with  mould.  Poulaho  was  fed  by  the 
chief  who  waited  on  him,  both  with  victuals 
and  drink.  After  he  had  finished,  the  re- 
mains were  carried  away  by  the  chief  in  wait- 
ing, who  returned  soon  after  with  two  large 
separate  rolls  of  cloth,  and  two  little  low 
wooden  stools.  The  cloth  was  for  a  covering 
while  asleep,  and  the  stools  to  raise  and  rest 
the  head  on,  as  we  do  on  a  pillow.  These 
were  left  within  the  house,  or  rather  under  the 
roof,  one  side  being  open.  The  floor  within 
was  composed  of  coarse  dry  grass,  leaves,  and 
flowers,  over  which  were  spread  large  well 
wrought  mats.  On  this  Poulaho  and  I  re- 
moved and  sat  down,  while  the  chief  un- 
rolled and  spread  out  the  cloth  ;  after  which 
he  retired,  and  in  a  few  minutes  there  ap- 
peared a  fine  young  girl,  about  seventeen  years 
of  age,  who,  approaching  Poulaho,  stooped  and 
kissed  his  great  tee,  and  then  retired  and  sat 
down   in  an    opposite  part  of  the  house. 

"  It  was  now  about  nine  o'clock,  and  a 
bright  moonshine ;  the  sky  was  serene,  and 
the  winds  hushed.  Suddenly  1  heard  n  num- 
ber of  their  flutes,  beginning  nearly  at  the 
same  time,  burst  from  ovory  qiiurtnr  of  the 
surrounding  grove ;  and  whether  thif  was 
meant  nn  m\  exiiilarating  serenade,  or  a  sooth- 
ing   soporific    to    the    great    Poulaho,   I  cannot 


I 


1 


k  i 
m 


JOHN     LED YARD 


/O 


tell.  Immediately  on  hearing  the  music  he 
took  me  by  the  hand,  intimating  that  he  was 
going  to  sleep,  and  showing  me  the  other 
cloth,  which  was  spread  nearly  beside  him, 
and  the  pillow,  invited  me  to  use  it." 

After  describing  the  occupations  of  the  na- 
tives, their  traffic,  articles  of  trade,  and  some 
of  their  customs^  he  speaks  of  their  amuse- 
ments. 

"  The  markets  being  over,  there  were  gen- 
erally an  hour  or  two,  and  those  before  dark, 
in  which  the  natives,  to  entertain  us  and  ex- 
hibit their  own  accomplishments,  used  to  form 
matches  at  wrestling,  boxing,  and  other  ath- 
letic exercises,  of  which  they  were  very  vain, 
and  in  which  they  were  by  far  the  best  ac- 
complishes of  all  the  people  we  ever  visited 
before  or  after.  These  exercises  were  always 
performed  on  tiio  green  within  the  circle,  and 
among  the  Indian  spectators  there  were  a  cer- 
tain number  of  elderly  men,  who  presided  over 
and  j-egulated  the  (exercise.  When  one  of  the 
wrej-tlers,  or  combatants,  was  fairly  excelled,, 
they  signified  it  by  a  short  sonorous  sentence, 
which  they  sung,  expressing  that  he  was  fall- 
en, fairly  fallen,  or  that  he  was  fairly  con- 
quered, and  that  the  victor  kept  the  field. 
From  this  there  was  no  appeal,  nor  ind'^'ed 
did    they    seem    to    want    it,  for  among    their 


llrt 


m 


76 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


u: 


4 


»  '>; 


I  I. 


'<' 


iiil 


H|t'$t  It 


: 


rougliest  exercises  I  never  saw  any  of  them 
choleric,  envious,  malicious,  or  revengeful ;  but 
preserving  their  tempers,  or  being  less  irascible 
than  wc  generally  are,  they  quit  the  stage  with 
the  same  good  nature  with  which  they  en- 
tered it. 

"  When  they  wrestle,  they  seize  each  other 
by  a  strong  plaited  girdle,  made  of  the  fibres 
of  the  cocoa-nut,  and  worn  round  the  waist 
for  that  purpose  ;  and  they  describ?  nearly  the 
same  operations  in  this  contest  th^i  we  do  in 
what  we  call  hugging  or  scuffling.  In  boxing 
their  manoeuvres  are  diiferent.  They  had  both 
hands  clinched,  and  bound  round  separately 
with  small  cords,  which  perhaps  was  intended 
to  prevent  their  clinching  each  other  when 
closely  engaged,  thus  preventing  foul  play  ;  or 
it  might  be  to  preserve  the  joints  of  the  fin- 
gers, and  especially  the  thumb,  from  being  dis- 
located. Perhaps  the  best  general  idea  I  can 
convey  of  their  attitudes  in  this  exercise,  is  to 
compare  them  with  those  of  the  ancient  glad- 
iators of  Rome,  which  they  much  resembled. 

"  They  are  very  expert  and  intrepid  in  these 
performances,  but,  as  they  are  mere  friendly 
eff'orts  of  skill  and  prowess,  they  continue  no 
longer  than  till  the  purposes  of  such  a  con- 
tention are  answered ;  and  the  combatant,  as 
soon  as  he  finds  that  he    shall    be    conquered, 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


77 


is  seldom  such  an  obstinate  fool  as  to  be  beat 
out  of  liis  senses  to  be  made  sensible  he  is  so, 
but  retires  most  comifionly  with  a  whole  skin. 
But  the  exercise  of  the  club  is  not  so,  and  as 
these  contests  are  very  severe,  and  even  dan- 
gerous, they  are  seldom  j)erformed.  We  never 
saw  but  one  instance  of  it,  but  it  was  a  most 
capital  one,  as  the  performers  were  capital  char- 
acters ;  ,and  though  we  expected  the  exhibition 
to  be  very  short,  yet  it  lasted  nearly  twenty 
minutes,  protracted  by  the  skill  of  the  com- 
batants in  avoiding  each  other's  blows,  some 
of  which  were  no  less  violent  than  artful. 
After  being  pretty  well  buffeted  about  the 
body,  a  fortuitous  blow  upon  the  head  of  one 
decided  the  matter,  and  the  conquered  was 
carried  off,  while  the  victor,  elated  with  suc- 
cess, stood  and  enjoyed  the  subsequent  shouts 
of  praise,  that  proceeded  from  the  spectators. 
When  these  shouts  ended,  the  young  women 
round  tlie  circle  rose,  and  sang,  and  danced  a 
short  kind  of  interlude  in  celebration  of  the 
hero." 

Not  to  be  outdone  by  the  monarch  of  the 
Friendly  Isles  in  politeness  and  attempts  to 
please.  Cook  got  up  a  brilliant  exhibition  of 
fireworks,  with  which  Poulaho  and  all  his 
people  were  greatly  astonished  and  delighted. 
The     mathematical    and    astronomical     instru- 


78 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


:'    'W 


1  a 


'I- 


ments,  which  had  been  fitted  up  in  lerits  on 
shore,  were  also  matters  of  curiosity  and  won- 
der. The  natives  were  particularly  amused, 
likewise,  with  the  horses,  cows,  sheep,  goats, 
and  other  animals,  which  Led  yard  said,  on 
leaving  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  made  the 
ships  resemble  Noah's  ark.  As  dogs  and  hogs 
were  the  only  animals  found  on  the  islands, 
and  of  course  the  only  ones  ever  before  seen 
by  the  inhabitants,  they  seemed  completely 
puzzled  to  know  what  to  make  of  these  new 
orders  of  the  creation.  The  sheep  and  goats 
they  called  birds  ;  but  the  horses,  cows,  cats, 
and  rabbits,  were  nondescripts  for  which  no 
place  had  been  assigned  in  their  scientific  ar- 
rangement. 

■  Thus  agreeably  passed  the  days  at  Tonga- 
taboo  ;  the  good  natured  people  omitted  noth- 
ing, which  was  in  their  power,  to  gratify  their 
visitors,  whether  by  supplying  them  with  the 
best  provisions  the  islands  afforded,  or  by 
amusing  them  with  innocent  pastimes.  One 
thing  only  marred  the  harmony  of  their  inter- 
course. These  simple  and  hospitable  people, 
each  and  all,  from  the  highest  rank  down- 
wards, were  incorrigible  thieves  ;  that  is,  they 
made  no  scruple  to  take  whatever  they  could 
lay  their  fingers  upon,  and  appropriate  it  to 
their    own    use.       This    habit    was    prevalent 


t  w  -■■! 

11 


Id 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


'J 

no 
ar- 


throughoiU  all  the  South  Sea  Islands,  but  no- 
where had  the  voyagers  been  so  much  an- 
noyed by  it,  as  at  these  islands  of   friendship. 

Cook  resorted  to  summary  and  severe  meas- 
ures to  teach  the  natives  what  he  thought  of 
this  vice,  and  sometimes  inflicted  punishments 
little  suited  to  the  moral  light  of  the  people, 
whom  he  arraigned  as  transgressors.  It  does 
not  appear  that  pilfering' was  deemed  a  crime, 
or  a  disreputable  offence  ;  and  indeed  the  his- 
torian of  Cook's  Voyages  declares,  that  "  the 
inhabitants  of  the  South  Sea  Islands,  in  their 
petty  larcenies,  were  actuated  by  a  childish 
disposition,  rather  than  a  thievish  one."  [n 
this  view  of  the  subject,  it  can  hardly  be  im- 
agined that  there  was  any  natural  right  in  the 
civilized  visitors  to  iu/licl  h'lreh  punishment 
on  their  ignorant  and  kind  (.'//lr;r(/ii/i<;rs  ;  on 
the  contrary,  it  was  cruel  and  unjust ;  it  was 
the  hiFt  way  to  gain  i'/)unds,  (i|  iu  j/ispire  the 
natives  with  n   love  of  thib  lfiiiill\  /j/z/je. 

Lcdyafd  speaks  vi'||||  wiirmiii  '//  some  ex- 
anijilf'R  ui'  iIj/h  kind,  which  <'U/</f*  HJiihr  }m 
notice,  but  adds,  alliKJI/ig  |//  f/'oolj,  "  |t  iUllkt 
be  reiuemboied  that  the  a)jj|jty  o/  //M/nrming 
the  important  eirai)d  |)u/mM*  1)8,  fj^ijiended  very 
much,  if  iu4  utfiifl'ly,  iipnn  jffii  hj'ucarious  sup- 
plies we  jniglU  yinimtn  ffinu  mOBti  and  other 
such  islands,  and  fie    must  of  consequence  be 


';ii' 


80 


AMKRICAN      BIOGRAPHY. 


■.;f;  I-  A 


■  ii  11 J 


ll  ■!'.'- 


It. 


very  anxious  and  solicitous  in  this  concern- 
ment ;  but  perhaps  no  consideration  will  ex- 
cuse the  severity,  which  he  sometimes  used 
towards  the  natives  on  these  occasions ;  and 
he  would  probably  have  done  better  to  con- 
sider, that  the  full  exertion  of  extreme  power 
is  an  argument  of  extreme  weakness  ;  and  na- 
ture seemed  to  inform  the  insulted  natives  of 
the  truth  of  this  maxim,  for,  before  we  quitted 
Tongataboo,  we  could  not  go  anywhere  into 
the  country  upon  business  or  pleasure  without 
danger." 

One  instance  is  related  with  more  particu- 
larity than  ')thers,  as  it  occurred  in  high  life, 
and  was  made  a  state  concern.  In  Toncata- 
boo  was  a  chief  called  Feenou,  a  man  of  fine 
personal  appearance,  graceful  and  commatidiug 
in  his  carriage,  frank  in  his  dispc  ition,  gener- 
ous, enterprising,  and  bold  ;  in  shurt,  he  was 
the  idol  of  the  people,  and  throughout  all  the 
isles  there  was  no  chief  whose  renown  was  so 
loudly  and  heartily  trumpeted  as  that  of  Fee- 
nou. He  was  the  man,  whom  the  great  Pou- 
laho  delighted  to  honor  above  others. 

When  the  strangers  came,  Feenou  was  their 
early  and  devoted  friend,  and  his  attachment 
and  kind  offices  held  out  to  the  last.  "  If 
they  lost  any  goods,  and  these  were  carried 
either  to  the  interior  of  Tongataboo,  or  to  any 


JOHN     LKDYARD. 


81 


of  the  detaclicd  islands,  tlieir  only  coiifideiitial 
resource  was  Feonou ;  or  if  any  other  emer- 
gency required  despatch,  policy,  courage,  or 
force,  Feenou  was  the  man  to  advise  and  act." 
Such  were  the  character  and  deeds  of  this 
chief.  He  could  subdue  the  hearts  of  men, 
and  the  strength  of  an  enemy,  but  he  could 
not  conquer  the  tyramiy  of  habit.  From  day 
to  day  he  had  gazed  with  inward  raptures 
upon  the  gaudy  plumage  of  the  peacocks, 
which  had  been  brought  with  much  care  and 
trouble  from  England  ;  their  charms  were  ir- 
.  resistible  ;  just  as  the  vessels  were  about  to 
sail  the  peacocks  disap])eared ;  Feenou  was 
also  out  of  the  way  ;  he  had  stolen  the  birds, 
and  concealed  himself  with  his  booty. 

The  aifrout  was  resented  by  Cook  in  an 
extraordinary  manner ;  lie  immediately  ordered 
Poulai,  >,  the  king,  to  be  arrested,  and  placed  a 
guard  over  him  in  his  own  house,  giving  him 
to  understand  tht^t  he  should  be  held  a  pris- 
oner till  the  peacocks  were  restored.  This 
was  a  novel  mode  of  making  a  king  answer- 
able foi  the  acts  of  his  subjects.  Much  dis- 
order ensued ;  the  chiefs  felt  the  insult  offered 
to  their  sovereign,  and  began  to  assume  a  war- 
like attitude,  and  threaten  the  guard ;  but 
Poulaho  advised  them  to  desist,  and  preserve 
peace  till  a  reconciliation  should  be  attemptec  ; 


VOL.    XIV. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


AV  4. 


1.0 


I.I 


m 

ui 


2.2 


Ui 


1^ 


M 

1.8 


1.25      1.4      1.6 

.4 6" 

► 

p 


.^. 


// 


<p 


/2 


7 


^^1 


c^ 


^>/  > 


.ol 


'/ 


^, 


Photographic 

Sdences 
Corporation 


7i  V'?ST  MMN  STREET 

WEPSVr.a,  N.Y.  14580 

(7 UN)  5)72-4503 


82 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


fct.'*!'! 


and  when  Cook  appeared,  the  king  saluted 
him  with  dignity  and  respect,  but  with  a  man- 
ifest sense  of  the  injustice  that  was  pract'sed 
upon  him.  His  coolness  and  counsel  kept  the 
people  from  offering  violence  to  the  guards, 
who  surrounded  him  with  fixed  bayonets  ;  and 
the  next  day  Feenou  himself  came  forward, 
entreated  for  the  release  of  the  king,  and  as- 
sured Cook  that  the  birds  should  be  returned 
to  him  before  sunset. 

Thus  the  affair  was  happily  terminated, 
leaving  a  much  stronger  proof  of  the  firmness 
than  of  the  prudence  of  the  great  navigator. 
The  reconciliation  was  followed  by  magnifi- 
cent presents  of  red  feathers  and  provisions  on 
the  part  of  Feenou,  and  others  equally  valua- 
ble from  Cook.  He  gave  Poulaho  some  of 
the  domestic  animals,  which  he  had  brought 
from  England  for  the  purpose  of  distributing 
them  among  the  islands.  All  parties  separated 
mutually  satisfied  with  each  other,  and  with  as 
warm  tokens  of  friendship  from  the  natives  as 
could  be  expected  after  the  recent  transactions. 


'I 


JO«N     LEDYARD. 


83 


^CHAPTER  IV. 


Society  Islands.  —  Otaheite.  —  Language,  Cus- 
toms, Religion,  Law^,  and  Government  of  the 
Natives.  —  Sandwich  Islands  discovered.  — 
Nootka  Sound.  —  Cannibalism.  —  Origin  and 
Practice  of  Sacrifices.  —  Bering's  Strait.  — 
Cook  sends  Ledyard  with  two  Indians  in 
Search  of  a  Russian  E  ahlishment.  —  Returns 
to  the  Ships,  and  reports  to  Captain  Cook. 
—  Sails  to  the  Sandwich  Islands. 

We  shall  next  join  our  navigators  at  the 
Society  Islands,  where  they  arrived  on  the 
14th  of  August.  Many  of  the  officers  and 
seamen,  who  had  been  there  on  a  former  voy- 
age, were  recognized  by  the  natives,  and  re- 
ceived with  great  cordiality.  The  day  of  land- 
ing at  Otahei';e  was  given  up  to  festivity  and 
mutual  congratulations  between  old  acquaint- 
ances. 

The  occurrences  during  their  stay  at  these 
islands  are  related  in  a  lively  manner  by  Led- 
yard. He  describes  the  natural  productions  of 
the  Society  Islands ;  the  appearance  and  condi- 
tion of  the  natives ;  their  food,  clothing,  and 
houses ;  their  language,  customs,  religion,  laws, 
and   government.      From  the  minuteness  with 


M 


i 


84 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


■,<)':*. 


M 


which  he  speaks  on  most  of  these  subjects,  it 
is  evident  that  the  principal  pqints  in  the  es- 
say mentioned  by  Mr.  Burney  were  still  fresh 
in  his  memory,  and  moreover  that  he  was  a 
close  and  inquisitive  observer  of  everything, 
which  came  within  his  reach  or  knowledge. 

"The  inhabitants,"  he  remarks,  "are  of  the 
largest  size  of  Europeans ;  the  men  are  tall, 
strong,  well  limbed,  and  fairly  shaped.  The 
women  of  superior  rank  among  them  are  also 
in  general  above  our  middle  size,  but  those 
of  the  inferior  rank  are  far  below  it ;  some  of 
them  are  quite  small.  Their  complexion  is  a 
clear  olive,  or  brunette,  and  the  whole  contour 
of  the  face  quite  handsome,  except  the  nose, 
which  is  generally  a  little  inclined  to  be  flat. 
Their  hair  is  black  and  coarse ;  the  men  have 
beards,  but  pluck  the  greatest  part  of  them 
out ;  they  are  vigorous,  easy,  graceful,  and  lib- 
eral in  their  deportment,  and  of  a  courteous, 
hospitable  disposition,  but  shrewd  and  artful. 
The  women  cut  their  hair  short,  and  the  men 
wear  theirs  long.  They  have  a  custom  of 
staining  their  bodies  in  a  manner  that  is  uni- 
versal among  all  those  islands,  and  is  called 
by  them  tattooing.  In  doing  this,  they  prick 
the  skin  with  an  instrument  of  small,  sharp 
bones,  which  they  dip,  as  occasion  requires,  into 
a  black    composition  of  coal   dust   and  wator, 


i;  I 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


85 


which  leaves  an  indelible  stain.  The  opera- 
tion is  painful,  and  it  is  some  days  before  the 
wound  is  well. 

"  Their  clothing  consists  of  a  cloth  made 
of  the  inner  rind  of  the  bark  of  three  differ- 
ent kinds  of  trees,  the  Chinese  paper  mulberry, 
the  bread-fruit  tree,  and  a  kind  of  wild  fig 
tree,  which,  in  the  formation  of  different  kinds 
of  cloth,  are  differently  disposed  of  by  using 
one  singly,  or  any  two,  or  all  of  them  together. 
The  principal  excellences  of  this  cloth  are  its 
coolness  and  softness;  its  defects  are  its  being 
pervious  to  water  and  easily  torn.  They  some- 
times, especially  if  it  is  wet,  wear  fine  mats, 
of  which  they  have  a  great  variety. 

"  Their  amusements  are  music,  dancing, 
wrestling,  and  boxing,  all  which  are  like  those 
of  Tongataboo. 

"  As  to  the  religion,  laws,  and  government 
of  these  people,  much  has  been  said  about 
them  by  former  voyagers;  and  in  truth  too 
much,  especially  about  their  religion,  which 
they  are  not  fond  of  discovering,  and  there- 
fore, when  urged  on  the  matter,  they  have, 
often,  rather  than  displease  those  who  made 
the  inquiry,  told  not  only  different  accounts, 
but  such  as  were  utterly  inconsistent  with 
what  we  knew  to  be  true  from  ocular  demon- 
stration.     They  assured    us,  for  instance,  that 


!    1 


I 


86 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


they  never  sacrificed  human  bodies,  but  an  ac- 
cident  happened,  that  contradicted  it,  and  gave 
us  the  full  proof  of  it,  the  operation  and 
design. 

"  They  believe  in  the  immortality  of  the 
soul,  at  least  its  existence  in  a  future  state ; 
but  how  it  exists,  whether  as  a  mere  spiritual 
substance,  or  whether  it  is  united  again  to  a 
corporeal  or  material  form,  and  what  form,  is 
uncertain.  It  is  supposed  they  have  notions 
of  transmigration.  Our  conjectures  originate 
from  observing  that  universal,  constant,  and 
uniform  regard,  which  they  pay  in  a  greater 
or  less  degree  to  every  species  of  subordinate 
beings,  even  to  the  minutest  insect,  and  the 
most  insignificant  reptile.  This  was  never  es- 
teemed a  philosophical  sentiment,  nor  a  mere 
dictate  of  nature,  because  the  people  who  en- 
tertain these  notions  are  not  led  to  embrace 
them  by  the  unbiased  impulses  of  nature, 
which  would  lead  them  to  regard  their  own 
species  more  than  any  other.  It  must,  there- 
fore, be  from  other  motives,  and  I  know  of 
.none  so  probable  as  religion  or  superstition, 
which  are  indeed  synonymous  terms  when  ap- 
plied to  these  people ;  besides,  it  is  well  known 
to  have  befin  a  religious  sentiment  among 
many  other  people,  both  ancient  and  modern, 
who  have  claimed  the  appellation  of  civilized. 


!!■ 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


87 


ive 

nd 

he 


te; 


It  exists  now  among  several  Asiatic  sects,  both 
east  and  west  of  the  Ganges,  particularly 
among  the  Banians,  who  abstain  from  all  ani- 
mal food.  It  is  well  known,  that  some  tribes 
in  Asia  have  built  hospitals  for  certain  species 
of  subordinate  beings." 

The  author's  reasoning  here  about  the  doc- 
trine of  transmigration  is  somewhat  curious, 
but  his  inference  that  the  natives  believed  in 
it,  because  they  showed  a  regard  for  inferior 
animals,  is  at  least  questionable.  He  goes  on 
to  enforce  his  opinion,  however,  by  remarking 
that  they  eat"  little  animal  food,  and  abstain 
from  the  flesh  of  some  kinds  of  birds  alto- 
gether. In  killing  animals,  also,  they  are  care- 
ful "to  inflict  as  little  pain  as  possible ;  they 
are  extremely  indulgent  to  rats,  with  which 
they  are  much  infested,  and  rarely  do  them 
any  harm  ;  when  stung  by  flies  or  mosquitoes, 
they  only  frighten  them  away.  This  lenity 
towards  animals,  however  commendable  in 
those  who  practise  it,  will  hardly  prove  their 
faith  in  the  doctrine  of  transmigration,  or  that 
these  savages  refrained  from  crushing  a  fly  or 
mosquito,  because  they  apprehended  a  spirit, 
which  had  once  animated  a  human  form,  had 
been  doomed  lo  an  existence  irl  one  of  these 
insects. 

It    is   a   favorite    theory    of   the    author,  at 


( ; 


Ill 


iij'i 

J 

i! 


88 


AMERICAN     BI0GRAPH7. 


terh 


K 


i)''^/ 


1:1 


;Hi' 


III 


it:!.; 


which  he  hints  on  several  occasions,  that  such 
habits  and  superstitions  of  a  people,  as  are 
woven  into  their  character  and  history,  must 
have  come  down  from  some  very  remote  time, 
and  not  have  sprung  out  of  casual  or  local 
circumstances,  of  which  any  knowledge  exists. 
He  says,  "All  the  customs  of  mankind  appear 
to  be  derivative  and  traditionary."  How  far 
he  would  carry  back  the  tradition,  he  does 
not  add ;  but  this  doctrine  of  transmigration 
he  traces  to  Asia,  and  supposes  it  to  have 
found  its  way  to  the  islands  of  the  Pacific 
with  the  first  settlers,  who  came  from  that 
quarter,  and  to  have  kept  its  place  through  all 
subsequent  changes  among  the  superstitions  of 
their  descendants. 

"  Their  notions  of  a  Deity."  he  continues, 
''and  the  speculative  parts  of  their  religion, 
are  involved,  even  among  themselves,  in  mys- 
tery, and  perplexed  with  inconsistencies ;  and 
their  priests,  who  alone  pretend  to  be  informed 
of  it,  have,  by  their  own  industrious  fabrica- 
tions and  the  addition  of  its  traditionary  fables, 
shut  themselves  up  in  endless  mazes  of  inex- 
tricable labyrinths.  *  None  of  them  act  alike  in 
their  ceremonies,  and  nohe  of  them  narrate 
alike  when  inquired  of  concerning  the  matter; 
therefore,  what  they  conceive  respecting  a  God 
we  cannot  tell  j  though  we  conclude,  upon  the 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


89 


whole,  that  they  worship  one  great  Supreme, 
the  Author  and  Governor  of  all  things ;  but 
there  seems  to  be  such  a  string  of  subordinate 
gods  intervening  between  him  and  the  least 
of  those,  and  the  characters  of  the  whole  so 
contrasting,  whimsical,  absurd,  and  ridiculous, 
that  their  mythology  is  very  droll,  and  repre- 
sents the  best  of  the  group  no  better  than  a 
harlequin. 

"  The  government  of  Otaheite  resembles  the 
early  condition  of  every  government,  which,  in 
an  unimproved  and  unrefined  state,  is  ever  a 
kind  of  feudal  system  of  Subordination,  secur- 
ing licentious  liberty  to  a  few,  and  a  depend- 
ent servility  to  the  rest." 

Having    above   spoken  of   Omai,  the  native 
of  the   Society  Islands,  whom  Cook  had  taken 
with    him   to    England    on   a  former   voyage, 
and   who    had    received   every  possible   advan- 
tage for  becoming  acquainted  with  the  habits, 
arts,  and  enjoyments  of  civilized  life,  the  reader 
may  be  curious  to  know  in   what    manner  he 
demeaned    himself   when    he    returned    to   his 
.  native    country,  and  what  were    the   prospects 
of  his  being  benefited  by  his  acquisitions   and 
experience.      In   this  case,  as  in  many  others, 
.   it  will  be  seen,  that  the  attempt  to   enlighten 
the  ignorance  and  change  the  character  of  the 
savage  was  unsuccessful. 


5  I 


\  >i 


w 


m\ 


90 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


On  landing  at  Otaheite,  says  Ledyard,  "  we 
had  a  number  of  visitors,  among  whom  was  a 
sister  of  Omai,  who  came  to  welcome  her 
brother  to  his  native  country  again ;  but  the 
behavior  of  Omai  on  that  occasion  was  con- 
sonant to  his  proud,  empty,  ambitious  heart, 
and  he  refused  at  first  to  own  her  for  his  sis- 
ter ;  the  reason  of  which  was,  her  being  a 
poor,  obscure  girl,  and  as  he  expected  to  be 
nothing  but  king,  the  connection  would  dis- 
grace him."  In  a  few  days  the  vessels  sailed 
over  to  Hueheine,  the  native  island  of  Omai, 
at  which  he  was  finally  to  be  left.  Here  a 
small  house  was  built  for  him,  in  which  his 
effects  were  deposited.  About  an  acre  of 
ground  adjoining  the  house  was  purchased  of 
the  natives,  surrounded  with  a  ditch,  and  con- 
verted into  a  garden,  in  which  various  Eu- 
ropean seeds  were  planted.  Several  of  the  live 
animals,  brought  from  England,  were  also  put 
on  shore,  and  left  under  his  charge. 

"  When  ready  to  sail.  Captain  Cook  made 
an  entertainment  on  behalf  of  Omai  at  his 
little  house,  and  in  order  to  recommend  him 
still  further  to  the  chiefs  of  the  island,  he  in- 
vited them  also.  Every  body  enjoyed  him- 
self but  Omai,  who  became  more  dejected  as 
the  time  of  his  taking  leave  of  us  for  ever  ap- 
preached ;    and    when   he   came  finally  to   bid 


JOHN     LEDYAllD. 


91 


Wfc 

a 
er 
he 
li- 
ft, 
is- 

a 

be 

Us- 

led 


adieu,  the  scene  was  very  affecting  to  the 
whole  company.  It  is  certainly  to  be  regret- 
ted, that  Omai  will  never  be  of  any  service 
to  his  country  by  his  travels,  but  perhaps  will 
render  his  countrymen,  and  himself  too,  the 
more  unhappy." 

The  subsequent  fate  of  Omai  is  not  known ; 
but  had  his  knowledge,  his  efforts,  or  his  ex- 
ample produced  any  valuable  effects  in  his  na- 
tive island,  the  monuments  of  them  would 
have  been  obvious  to  future  voyagers.  There 
has  never  been  a  more  idle  scheme  of  philan- 
thropy, than  that  of  converting  a  savage  into 
a  civilized  man.  No  one  attempt,  it  is  be- 
lieved, has  ever  been  successful.  Even  Samp- 
son Occum,  before  his  death,  relapsed  into 
some  of  the  worst  habits  of  his  tribe;  and  no 
North  American  Indian  of  unmixed  blood, 
whatever  pains  may  have  been  taken  with  his 
education,  has  been  known  to  adopt  the  man- 
ners of  civilized  men,  or  to  pass  his  life  among 
.them. 

The  reason  is  sufficiently  plain,  without  re- 
sorting to  natural  instinct.  In  a  civilized  com- 
munity, a  man  who  has  been  a  savage  must 
always  feel  himself  inferior  to  those  around 
him  ;  this  feeling  will  drive  him  to  his  native 
woods,  where  he  can  claim  and  maintain  an 
equality  with  his  associates.     This  is  the  uni- 


m 
i-:'\ 


92 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


U'-  'i 


i\^''- ' 


U  0 


versal  sentiment  of  nature,  and  none  but  a 
slave  can  be  without  it.  When  a  man  lives 
with  savages,  he  will  assume  the  habits  of  a 
savage,  the  light  of  education  will  be  extin- 
guished, and  his  mind  and  his  moral  sense 
will  soon  adapt  themselves  to  his  condition. 

The  vessels  at  length  departed  from  the 
Society  Islands,  and  took  a  northerly  course, 
with  the  intention  of  falling  in  with  the  coast 
of  America,  at  about  the  fortieth  degree  of 
north  latitude.  After  sailing  six  weeks,  with- 
out approaching  any  other  land,  than  an  unin- 
habited island,  consisting  chiefly  of  a  bed  of 
coral  rocks,  and  abounding  in  turtle  of  a  fine 
quality,  the  mariners  were  greeted  with  a  view 
of  high  land  at  a  distance,  which  was  not 
marked  on  the  charts.  It  proved  to  be  a  new 
discovery,  and  was  one  of  the  group  of  islands, 
named  afterwards  by  Cook  the  Sandwich 
htands.  A  safe  harbor  was  found  and  entered, 
in  which  the  vessels  were  no  sooner  anchored, 
than  they  were  surrounded  by  canoes  filled 
with  the  natives,  who  regarded  the  new  comers 
with  inexpressible  surprise,  though  not  with 
apparent  fear. 

A  source  of  astonishment  to  the  navigators 
was,  that  the  people  should  speak  a  language 
differing  but  little  from  those  of  the  Society 
Islands  and  New  Zealand,  which  were  distant, 


t  i 


m 


JOHN     L  E  I)  Y  A  11 0  . 


d'6 


the  first  nearly  three  thousand,  and  the  other 
four  thousand  miles,  with  an  ocean  interven- 
ing. The  wide  extent  of  the  Polynesian  dia- 
lects was  not  then  known.  Although  very 
shy  at  first,  the  natives  were  not  long  in  sum- 
moning courage  to  go  on  board.  They  looked 
with  wonder  upon  the  objects  around  them, 
examined  the  handsj  faces,  and  clothes  of  the 
sailors,  and  inquired  if  they  could  eat.  W!ien 
satisfied  on  this  head,  by  seeing  them  devour 
dry  biscuit,  the  simple  islanders  were  eager  to 
show  their  hospitality,  and  presented  them 
with  pigs,  yams,  sweet  potatoes,  and  plantains, 
thus  verifying  a  declaration  of  Led  yard  on 
another  occasion,  that  "all  uncivilized  men 
are  hospitable."  A  friendly  interco'  rse  was 
established,  and  provisions  were  given  in  bar- 
ter for  old  iron,  nails,  and  other  articles  of  lit- 
tle intrinsic  value,  but  important  to  the  natives. 
Cook  remained  ten  days  only  at  these  islands, 
and  then  sailed  for  the  American  coast,  in- 
tending to  visit  them  again  on  his  retr.io 
from  the  north  in  the  following  winter.  It 
was  now  the  1st  of  February,  and  no  time 
was  to  be  lost  in  hastening  his  voyage  to  the 
northward,  for  his  plan  was  to  proceed  along 
the  American  shore,  and  run  through  Bering's 
Strait,  so  as  to  explore  the  polar  latitndes  at 
the    proper    season.      Without    any  remarkable 


94 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


accident  or  adventure  he  reached  the  conti- 
nent, and  anchored  in  Nootka  Sound.  This  is 
an  extraordinary  bay,  extending  several  leagues 
into  the  country,  and  completely  land-locked. 
On  the  first  night  the  ships  were  anchored  in 
water  nearly  five  hundred  feet  deep,  and  in 
other  parts  it  was  more  than  six  hundred.  A 
convenient  harbor  was  found  the  next  day. 
The  bay  is  surrounded  by  lofty  hills,  and  the 
shore  is  so  bold,  that  the  ships  were  secured 
by  ropes  fastened  to  trees. 

Our  wanderer  was  now  on  his  native  con- 
tinent, and  although  more  than  three  thousand 
miles  from  the  place  of  his  birth,  yet  he  could 
not  resist  the  sensations  kindled  by  the  re- 
membrance of  home.  All  the  deep  emotions, 
says  he,  "  inciderrt  to  natural  attachments  and 
early  prejudices,  played  around  my  heart,  and 
I  indulged  them."  The  feeling  was  sponta- 
neous and  genuine.  Ledyard  saw  in  the  in- 
habitants, likewise,  indications  of  an  affinity 
between  them  and  the  Indians,  whom  he  had 
visited  in  his  native  country.  In  all  his  trav- 
els he  manifests  a  remarkable  acuteness  in 
observing  the  human  character  in  its  vari- 
ous gradations  of  improvement,  and  particularly 
in  detecting  resemblances  between  uncivilized 
people  of  different  regions.  Whether  among 
the  South  Sea  Islands,  on  the  Northwest  Coast 


f 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


95 


of  America,  in  Kamtschatka,  Siberia,  or  Egypt, 
remarks  of  this  kind  escape  him  continually. 
He  seems  to  have  had  in  his  mind  a  scale 
upon  which  he  graduated  the  nations  of  men, 
and  which  he  studied  so  carefully,  that  he 
could  assign  to  each  its  proper  place. 

His  observations  were  not  restricted  to  one 
class  of  qualities  or  circumstances,  but  they 
extended  to  all  that  constitute  individual  and 
national  peculiarities,  to  the  intellect,  physical 
characteristics,  modes  of  living,  dress,  warlike 
implements,  habitations,  furniture,  government, 
religion,  social  state,  and  domestic  habits.  Nor 
was  he  merely  observing  and  inquisitive ;  he 
was  addicted  to  thought  and  reflection.  His 
theories  were  raised  on  the  basis  of  facts  ;  his 
results  were  sustained  by  reasons,  satisfactory 
at  least  to  himself.  He  was  fond  of  pursuing 
analogies,  especially  in  regard  to  the  origin, 
customs,  and  characters  of  the  various  races 
of  men ;  and  here  the  wide  compass  of  his  in- 
quiries supplied  him  with  so  many  materials 
not  accessible  to  others,  that  he  sometimes 
came  to  conclusions  less  obvious  to  those  who 
follow  him,  than  they  were  to  his  own  mind. 
His  description  of  the  people  of  Nootka  is 
here  inserted. 

"I  had  no  sooner  beheld  these  Americans, 
than  I  set  them  down  for  the  same    kind   of 


96 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


people,  that  inhabit  the  opposite  side  of  the 
continent.  They  are  rather  above  the  middle 
stature,  copper-colored,  and  of  an  athletic  make. 
They  have  long  black  hair,  which  they  gen- 
erally wear  in  a  club  on  the  top  of  the  head ; 
they  fill  it,  when  dressed,  with  oil,  paint,  and 
the  down  of  birds.  They  also  paint  their  faces 
with  red,  blue,  and  white  colors,  but  from 
Avhence  they  had  them,  or  how  they  were  pre- 
pared, they  would  not  inform  us,  nor  could  we 
lull.  Their  clothing  generally  consists  of  skins, 
but  they  have  two  other  sorts  of  garments  ;  the 
one  is  made  of  the  inner  rind  of  some  sort  of 
bark,  twisted  and  united  together  like  the  woof 
of  our  coarse  cloths  ;  the  other  very  strongly 
resembles  the  New  Zealand  toga,  and  is  also 
principally  made  with  the  hair  of  their  dogs, 
which  are  mostly  white  and  of  the  domestic 
kind.  Upon  this  garment  is  displayed,  very 
well  executed,  the  manner  of  their  catching 
the  whale ;  we  saw  nothing  so  well  done  by  a 
savage  in  our  travels.  Their  garments  of  all 
kinds  are  worn  mantlewise,  and  the  borders  of 
them  are  fringed,  or  terminated  with  some  par- 
ticular kind  of  ornament. 

"  Their  richest  skins,  when  converted  to  gar- 
ments, are  edged  with  a  great  curiosity.  This  is 
nothing  less  than  the  very  species  of  wampum^ 
so  well  known  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  con- 


JOHN     LED YARD. 


97 


tinent.  It  is  identically  the  same ,  and  this 
wampum  was  not  only  found  among  all  the 
aborigines  we  saw  on  ihis  side  of  the  conti- 
nent, but  even  exists  uiimutilated  on  the  op- 
posite coasts  of  North  Asia.  We  saw  them 
make  use  of  no  coverings  to  their  feet  or  legs, 
and  it  was  seldom  they  covered  their  heads. 
When  they  did,  it  was  with  a  kind  of  a  bas- 
ket covering,  made  after  the  manner  and  form 
of  the  Chinese  and  Chinese  Tartars'  hats. 
Their  language  is  very  guttural,  and  if  it  were 
possible  to  reduce  it  to  our  orthography,  it 
would  very  much  abound  with  consonants.  In 
their  manners  they  resemble  the  other  aborigi- 
nes of  North  America.  They  are  bold  and  fe- 
rocious, sly  and  reserved,  not  easily  provoked, 
but  revengeful  ;  we  saw  no  signs  of  religion 
or  worship  among  them,  and  if  they  sacrifice, 
it  is  to  the  god  of  liberty." 

The  fact  here  stated,  respecting  wampum,  is 
curious,  and  confirms  a  remark  of  the  author, 
that  the  diffusive  power  of  commerce  extended 
at  that  time  throughout  the  whole  continent 
of  North  America.  "  Nothing,"  says  he,  "  can 
impede  the  progress  of  commerce  among  the 
uninformed  part  of  mankind,  but  an  interven- 
tion of  too  remote  a  communication  by  water." 
Civilized  nations  may  impose  restrictions,  or 
adopt  regulations,  under  the   name   of  protect- 

VOL.    XIV.  7 


98 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


ing  laws,  and  thereby  embarrass  commerce  ;  but, 
when  left  fcee  to  move  in  its  own  channels, 
there  is  no  obscure  nook  of  human  society, 
which  it  will  not  pervade.  Ledyard  discov- 
ered, among  the  natives  on  the  Northwest 
Coast,  copper  bracelets  and  knives,  which  could 
only  have  come  to  them  across  the  continent 
from  Hudson's  Bay.  Clapperton  found  articles 
of  English  manufacture  in  the  heart  of  Africa; 
and  the  Russian  embassy  to  Bukaria  met  with 
others  from  the  same  source  in  Central  Asia. 
The  wampum  of  the  North  American  Indians 
has  been  an  article  of  traffic,  and  probably 
passed  as  a  kind  of  currency  among  all  the 
tribes,  from  time  immemorial. 

.  Ledyard's  views  of  the  commercial  resources 
of  Nootka  Sound,  and  other  parts  of  the  North- 
west Coast,  must  not  be  overlooked  in  this 
place,  because  they  were  the  foundation  of 
many  important  succeeding  events  of  his  life, 
in  suggesting  to  him  the  benefits  of  a  traffick- 
ing voyage  to  that  coast.  It  will  be  seen 
hereafter,  that  he  was  the  first,  whether  in 
Europe  or  America,  to  propose  such  a  voyage 
as  a  mercantile  enterprise,  and  that  he  perse- 
vered against  numerous  obstacles  for  se^reral 
years,  though  with  frifitless  endeavors  to  ac- 
complish his  object. '  The  furs,  purchased  of 
the   natives    for    a    mere    trifle,   were    sold    in 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


99 


3 ;  but, 

annels, 

lociety, 

discov- 

rthwest 

h  could 

nitinent 

articles 

Africa; 
net  with 
al    Asia. 

Indians 
probably 
;   all   the 

resources 
le  North- 
in   this 
dation  of 
his  life, 
a  trafiick- 
be   seen 
hether   in 
a  voyage 
he   perse- 
or   sfc^reral 
)rs    to   ac- 
•chased  of 
sold   in 


China  at  an  enormous  advance,  which  had  not 
been  anticipated,  but  which  gave  ample  proof 
of  the  advantages  of  such  a  commerce,  under- 
taken upon  a  ;arge  scale. 

After  enumerating  some  of  the  productions 
of  the  soil,  he  adds,  "  The  light  in  which  this 
country  will  appear  most  to  advantage  respects 
the  variety  of  its  animals,  and  the  richness  of 
their  furs.  They  have  foxes,  sables,  hares,  mar- 
mosets, ermines,  weasels,  bears,  wolves,  deer, 
moose,  dogs,  otters,  beavers,  and  a  species  of 
weasel  called  the  glutton.  The  skin  of  this 
animal  was  sold  at  Kamtschatka,  a  Russian 
factory  on  the  Asiatic  coast,  for  sixty  rubles, 
which  is  near  twelve  guineas ;  and  had  it  been 
sold  in  China,  it  would  have  been  worth  thirty 
guineas.  We  purchased  while  here  about  fif- 
teen hundred  beaver,  besides  other  skins,  but 
took  none  but  the  best,  having  no  thoughts  at 
that  time  of  using  them  to  any  other  advan- 
tage, than  converting  them  to  the  purposes  of 
clothing  ;  but  it  afterwards  happened  that  skins, 
which  did  not  cost  the  purchaser  sixpence 
ji^.liug,  sold  in  China  for  one  hundred  dollars. 
Neither  did  we  purchase  a  quarter  part  of  the 
beaver  and  other  fur  skins  we  might  have 
done,  and  most  certainly  should  have  done,  had 
we  known  of  meeting  the  opportunity  of  dis- 
posing of  them  to  such  an  astonishing  profit." 


100 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


Mi': 


I  ! 


i  1 


1  I 


At  Nootka  Sound,  and  at  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  Ledyard  witnessed  instances  of  canni- 
balism. In  both  places  he  saw  human  flesh 
prepared  for  food,  but  on  one  occasion  only  at 
each  ;  for,  he  says,  the  sailors  expressed  such 
a  horror  at  the  sight,  that  the  natives  never 
ventured  to  repeat  the  act  in  their  presence. 
In  this  part  of  his  narrative  he  makes  a  di- 
gression on  sacrifices,  which  I  shall  quote,  not 
so  much  for  its  originality,  or  the  conclusive- 
ness of  its  reasoning,  as  to  show  his  manner 
of  considering  the  subject.  His  opinion  is,  that 
cannibalism,  or  the  custom  of  eating  human 
flesh,  which  has  by  no  means  been  uncommon 
among  savage  tribes,  had  its  origin  in  the  cus- 
tom of  sacrificing  human  victims.  There  is 
good  evidence,  that  other  tribes  of  North  Amer- 
ican Indians,  besides  those  at  Nootka,  have  been 
cannibals,  if  they  are  not  so  even  at  the  pres 
ent  day.  There  was  a  time,  when  some  phi- 
lanthropists professed  to  doubt  the  existence  of 
this  habit,  so  shocking  to  humanity ;  but  the 
mass  of  testimony  brought  to  light  since  Cook's 
first  voyage  is  such,  as  to  conquer  the  most 
obstinate  reluctance  to  conviction.  Let  the 
skeptic  look  at  New  Zealand,  and  cease  to 
doubt. 

"  The  custom  of  sacrificing  is  very  ancient. 
The    first   instance  we    have  of   it   is   in   thn 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


101 


latidwich 
)f  canni- 
lan   flesh 
I  only  at 
sed   such 
es    never 
presence, 
kes  a  di- 
luotc,  not 
onchisive- 
,s   manner 
on  is,  that 
ig    human 
incommon 
ill  the  ens- 
There    is 
orth  Amer- 
have  been 
t  the   pres 
some  phi- 
xistence  of 
^;  but   the 
ince  Cook's 
sr  the   most 
Let    the 
Lcl   cease   to 

ery  ancient, 
t   is   in   thn 


Hves  of  Cain  and  Abel.  Their  sacrifices  con- 
sisted in  part  of  animal  flesh,  burnt  upon  an 
altar  dedicated  to  God.  This  custom  exists 
now  among  all  the  uncivilized  and  Jewish  na- 
tions, in  the  essential  rites  requisite  to  prove  it 
analogous  to  the  first  iustitution.  The  only 
material  change  in  the  ceremony  is,  that  the 
barbarous  nations  have  added  human  flesh. 
Whether  this  additional  ingredient  in  the  obla- 
tion took  place  at  a  remote  subsequent  period, 
by  the  antecedent  intervention  of  any  extraor- 
dinary circumstance  independent  of  the  original 
form,  does  not  appear,  unless  we  place  the  sub- 
sequent period  below  the  time  of  Abraham,  or 
perhaps  below  the  time  of  Jephthah. 

"  The  circumstance  of  Abraham's  intended 
sacrifice  of  Isaac,  to  which  he  was  enjoined  by 
the  Deity,  though  he  absolutely  did  not  do  it, 
yet  was  sufficient  to  introduce  the  idea  that 
such  a  sacrifice  was  the  most  pleasing  to  God ; 
and  as  it  was  an  event  very  remarkable,  it 
probably  became  an  historical  subject,  and  went 
abroad  among  other  tribes,  and  was  handed 
down  among  them  by  tradition,  and  liable  to 
all  the  changes  incident  thereto  ;  and  in  time 
the  story  might  have  been,  that  Abraham  net 
only  offered,  but  really  did  sacrifice  his  own 
son. 

"  But  perhaps  the  story  of  Jephthah,  judge  of 


187484 


T:r 


w 


102 


AMERICAN     BlOGRAPUr. 


mk 


h' 


III 


Israel,  is  more  to  the  point.  It  is  said,  he  sac- 
rificed his  daughter  as  a  burnt-offering  to  the 
god  who  had  been  propitious  to  him  in  war ; 
which  does  appear  to  be  an  act  independent 
of  custom  or  tradition,  as  it  was  performed 
wholly  from  the  obligations  of  a  rash  vow, 
made  to  the  Deity  in  the  fulness  of  a  heart 
surcharged  with  hopes  and  fears.  It  is  also  a 
fact,  that  after  this,  particularly  in  the  reign  of 
the  Wxjked  Ahaz,  it  was  a  general  custom,  es- 
pecially among  the  heathen,  to  make  their  chil- 
dren '  pass  through  the  fire  ;  '  by  which,  I  sup- 
pose, it  is  understood  that  they  were  sacrificed 
with  fire. 

"  It  seems,  then,  that  the  circumstance  of 
adding  human  flesh  in  the  ceremony  of  sacri- 
ficing did  take  place  in  the  years  antecedent 
to  Christ,  and  most  probably  from  the  example 
of  Jephthah.  After  this  we  find  it  shifting 
places,  attending  the  diffusive  emigrations  of  the 
tribes,  and  commixing  with  mankind  in  general, 
but  especially  with  those  disunited  from  the 
chosen  descendants  of  the  great  Abraham ; 
whose  descendants,  being  constantly  favored 
with  civil  and  religious  instructions  from  Heav- 
en itself,  were  not  only  preserved  from  super- 
stition and  barbarity  themselves,  but  were  the 
means  of  furnishing  the  detached  heathen  with 
n  variety  of  customs  and  ceremonies,  that  from 


5TI|£ 


JOHN  LEDYARD. 


103 


he  sac- 

to   the 

n  war  ; 
pendent 

•formed 
ih   vow, 

a  heart 
IS  also  a 

reign  of 
stom,  es- 
heir  chil- 
;h,  I  sup- 
sacrificed 

stance   of 
T  of  sacri- 
intecedent 
e  example 
it  shifting 
Lons  of  the 
in  general, 
from   the 
Abraham  ; 
ly   favored 
'rom  Heav- 
rom  super- 
t  were  the 
sathen  with 
3,  that  from 


the  mere  light  of  nature  they  never  could  have 
thought  of;  nor  could  they  preserve  them  pure 
and  uncorrupt  after  they  had  adopted  them. 

"  Even  the  favored  Israelites  were  perpetu- 
ally deviating  into  schisms  and  cabals,  and  fre- 
quently into  downright  idolatry,  and  all  the  van- 
ity of  superstition  and  unbridled  nonsense,  from 
the  imbecility  of  human  policy,  when  uninflu- 
enced by  heavenly  wisdom  and  jurisprudence. 
No  wonder,  then,  that  the  separate  tribes  from 
the  house  of  Abraham,  though  they  primarily 
received  many  of  their  principles  of  civil  and 
religious  government  from  a  pure  fountain, 
should  debase  and  contaminate  them  by  the 
spurious  conjunction  of  things  derived  from 
their  own  imaginations.  And  this  seems  to 
have  been  the  course  of  things  to  this  day. 
There  hath  always  been  a  part  of  jnankind, 
conspicuous  for  knowledge,  superior  in  wisdom, 
and  favored  by  Heaven,  from  whom  others  are 
separated ;  and  these,  like  the  moon,  have  only 
shone   with  borrowed  light. 

''  Some  customs  may  be  local  and  indigenous 
to  particular  times  and  circumstances,  both  in 
the  civilized  and  uncivilized  world,  but  far  the 
greater  part  are  derivative,  and  were  originally 
bestowed  on  man  by  his  supreme  Governor ; 
those  that  we  find  among  the  civilized  and 
wise,  measured  on  a  philosophic  scale,  are  uti- 


i  !l 


I 


111 

ill 
I 


ill 

'I, 


'if 


II! 


S'l 


104 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPIir. 


corrupted,  while  those  that  we  find  existing  in 
parts  remote  from  civilization  and  knowledge, 
though  they  have  a  resemblance  which  plainly 
intimates  from  whence  they  came,  are  yet  de- 
based, mutilated,  and  by  some  hardly  known. 
But  who,  that  had  seen  a  human  body  sacri- 
ficed at  Otaheite  to  their  god  of  war,  would 
not  perceive  an  analogy  to  ancient  custom  on 
those  occasions,  and  attribute  it  rather  to  such 
custom  than  to  any  other  cause  whatever  ? 

"  And  the  -custom  is  not  confined  to  Ota- 
heite alone ;  it  pervades  the  islands  throughout 
the  Pacific  Ocean.  It  was  the  case  with  the 
ancient  Britons.  The  Mexicans  depopulated 
society  by  this  carnivorous  species  of  sacrifice. 
This  could  not  be  the  effect  of  accident,  want, 
or  caprice.  It  may  be  worthy  of  notice  to  re- 
mark furthermore,  that  in  the  time  of  Ahaz, 
these  sacrifices  were  made  in  high  places.  It 
was  so  in  Mexico,  and  is  so  at  Otaheite  and 
other  islands.  The  Mexicans  flung  their  vie* 
tims  from  the  top  of  their  temple,  dedicated 
to  their  god  of  war.  The  Otaheitans  and  the 
other  islanders  prepare  those  oblations  on  their 
Morais." 

Captain  Cook  remained  a  few  days  only  at 
Nootka  Sound,  and  then  sailed  northward,  coast- 
ing along  the  American  shore,  and  making  va- 
rious   geographical  discoveries,  till   he  came  to 


i 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


105 


ing  in 

fledge, 
plainly 
et  de- 
[110  wn. 
■  sacri- 
would 
;om  on 
,0  such 
rer  ? 
:o   Ota- 
mghout 
ith   the 
tpulated 
acrifice. 
t,  want, 
=^  to  re- 
Ahaz, 
les.      It 
ite    and 
leir  vic- 
sdicated 
and  the 
on  their 

only  at 
d>  coast- 
cing  va- 
came  to 


Bering's  Strait,  which  separates  Asia  from  Amer- 
ica. In  passing  through  this  strait,  Ledyard 
says  both  continents  were  distinctly  seen  at  the 
same  time.  Cook  traversed  the  polar  seas  in 
the  month  of  August,  as  far  north  as  the  ice 
would  permit,  in  search  of  a  northwest  passage, 
but  without  success.  As  the  season  advanced, 
he  returned  to  the  south,  intending  to  renew 
his  attempts  the  next  year. 

Few  occurrences  are  recorded  in  the  voyage 
back  to  the  Sandwich  Islands.  There  is  one, 
however,  which  merits  particular  attention  in 
this  narrative,  since  our  hero  was  the  chief 
actor.  The  adventure  is  mentioned  in  Cook's 
Voyages,  and  by  Captain  Burney,  as  highly 
creditable  to  the  enterprise  and  discretion  of 
Ledyard.  It  happened  at  the  Island  of  Ona- 
laska,  on  the  Northwest  Coast.  Ledyard  him- 
self wrote  a  particular  description  of  it,  which 
hardly  admits  of  abridgment,  and  which  may 
best  be  given,  therefore,  in  his  own  words. 

"  I  have  before  observed,  that  we  had  no- 
ticed many  appearances  to  the  eastward  of  this, 
as  far  almost  as  Sandwich  Sound,  of  a  Eu- 
ropean intercourse,  and  that  we  had  at  this 
island  in  particular  met  with  circumstances, 
that  did  not  only  indicate  such  an  intercourse, 
but  seemed  strongly  to  intimate,  that  some  Eu- 
ropeans were  actually  somewhere  on  the  spot. 


Ill 


m 


!-^« 


I' 


h.  1 


;  i  I 


,1  I  I 


N 


106 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


The  appearances  that  led  to  these  conjectures 
were  such  as  these.  We  found  among  the  in- 
habitants of  this  island  two  different  kinds  of 
people ;  the  one  we  knew  to  be  the  aborigines 
of  America,  while  we  supposed  the  others  to 
have  come  from  the  opposite  coasts  of  Asia. 
There  were  two  different  dialects  also  observed^ 
and  we  found  them  fond  of  tobacco,  rum,  and 
snuff.  Tobacco  we  even  found  them  possessed 
of,  and  we  observed  several  blue  linen  shirts 
and  drawers  among  them. 

"  But  the  most  remarkable  circumstance  was 
a  cake  of  rye  meal  newly  baked,  with  a  piece 
of  salmon  in  it,  seasoned  with  pepper  and  salt, 
which  was  brought  and  presented  to  Cook  by 
a  comely  young  chief,  attended  by  two  of  those 
Indians  whom  we  supposed  to  be  Asiatics. 
The  chief  seemed  anxious  to  explain  to  Cook 
the  meaning  of  the  present,  and  the  purport  of 
his  visit ;  and  he  was  so  far  successful  as  to 
persuade  him,  that  there  were  some  strangers 
in  the  country,  who  were  white,  and  had  come 
over  the  great  waters  in  a  vessel  somewhat 
like  ours,  and  though  not  so  large,  was  yet 
much  larger  than  theirs. 

"  In  consequence  of  this.  Cook  was  deter- 
mined to  explore  the  island.  It  was  difficult, 
however,  to  fix  upon  a  plan,  that  would  at 
once  answtr  the  purposes  of  safety  and  expe- 


J  ()  il  N      L  L  I)  Y  A  U  D 


107 


dition.  An  armed  body  would  proceod  slowly, 
and  if  they  should  be  cut  off  by  the  Indians, 
the  loss  in  our  present  circumstances  would  be 
irreparable ;  and  a  single  person  would  entirely 
risk  his  life,  though  he  would  be  much  more 
expeditious  if  unmolested,  and  if  he  should  be 
killed  the  loss  would  be  only  one.  The  latter 
seemed  the  best,  but  it  was  extremely  hard  to 
single  out  an  individual,  and  command  him  to 
go  upon  such  an  expedition  ;  and  it  was  there- 
fore thought  proper  to  send  a  volunteer,  or 
none. 

"  1  was  at  this  time,  and  indeed  ever  after, 
an  intimate  friend  of  John  Gore,  first  lieuten- 
ant of  the  Resolution,  a  native  of  America  as 
well  as  myself,  and  superior  to  me  in  com- 
mand. He  recommended  me  to  Captain  Cook 
to  undertake  the  expedition,  with  which  I  im- 
mediately acquiesced.  Captain  Cook  assured 
me,  that  he  was  happy  I  had  undertaken  it,  as 
he  was  convinced  I  should  persevere  ;  and  after 
giving  me  some  instructions  how  to  proceed, 
he  wished  me  well,  and  desired  I  would  not 
be  longer  absent  than  a  week  if  possible,  at 
the  expiration  of  which  he  should  expect  mQ 
to  return.  If  I  did  not  return  by  that  time, 
he  should  wait  another  week  for  me,  and  no 
longer.  The  young  chief  before  mentioned, 
and  his  two  attendants,  were  to  be  my  guides. 


■!|;|! 


;ii;: 


'I'MI 


;i|'i. 


ill 


,  i 


!!! 


I'll 

,  In 
'ilir 

'iJii 

i 

M!! 


111 


9 


108 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


I  look  with  me  some  presents  adapted  to  the 
taste  of  the  Indians,  brandy  in  b..  ttles,  and 
bread,  but  no  other  provisions.  I  went  entirely 
unarmed,  by  the  advice  of  Captani  Cook. 

"  The  first  day  we  proceeded  about  fifteen 
miles  into  the  interior  part  of  the  island,  with- 
out any  remarkable  occurrence,  until  we  ap- 
proached a  village  just  before  night.  This 
village  consisted  of  about  thirty  huts,  some  of 
them  large  and  spacious,  though  not  very  high. 
The  huts  are  composed  of  a  kind  of  slight 
frame,  erected  over  a  square  hole  sunk  about 
four  feet  into  the  ground  ;  the  frame  is  covered 
at  the  bottom  with  turf,  and  upwards  it  is 
thatched  with  coarse  grass  ;  the  whole  village 
was  out  to  see  us,  and  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren crowded  about  me.  I  was  conducted  by 
the  young  chief,  who  was  my  guide,  and 
seemed  proud  and  assiduous  to  serve  me,  into 
one  of  the  largest  huts. 

"  I  was  surprised  at  the  behavior  of  the  In- 
dians, for  though  they  were  curious  to  see  me, 
yet  they  did  not  express  that  extraordinary 
curiosity,  that  would  be  expected  had  they 
never  seen  a  European  before ;  and  I  was  glad 
to  perceive  it,  as  it  was  an  evidence  in  favor 
of  what  I  wished  to  find  true,  namely,  that 
there  were  Europeans  now  among  them.  The 
women  of  the  house    which  were  almost    the 


I  I 


4' 


ill 


JOHN     LEDYARD, 


109 


and 
into 


that 


only  ones  I  had  seen  at  this  island,  were  much 
more  tolerable  than  I  expected  to  find  them  ; 
one,  in  particular,  seemed  very  busy  to  please 
me ;  to  her,  therefore,  I  made  several  presents, 
with  which  she  was  extremely  well  pleased. 
As  it  was  now  dark,  ray  young  chief  intimated 
to  me,  that  we  must  tarry  where  we  were  that 
night,  and  proceed  further  the  next  day ;  to 
which  I  very  readily  consented,  being  much 
fatigued.  Our  entertainment,  the  subsequent 
part  of  the  evening,  did  not  consist  of  delica- 
cies or  much  variety  ;  they  had  dried  fish,  and 
I  had  bread  and  spirits,  of  which  we  all  par- 
ticipated. Ceremony  was -not  invited  to  the 
feast,  and  nature  presided  over  the  entertain- 
ment. 

"  At  daylight  Perpheela  (which  was  the 
name  of  the  young  chief  that  was  my  guide) 
let  me  know,  that  he  was  ready  to  go  on  ; 
upon  which  I  flung  off  the  skins  I  had  slept 
in,  put  on  my  shoes  and  outside  vest,  and  arose 
to  accompany  him,  repeating  my  presents  to 
my  friendly  hosts.  We  had  hitherto  travelled 
in  a  northerly  direction,  but  now  went  to  the 
westward  and  southward.  I  was  now  so  much 
relieved  from  tiie  apprehension  of  any  insult 
or  injury  frort;  the  Indians,  that  my  journey 
would  have  been  even  agreeable,  had  I  not 
been  taken  lame,  with  a  swelling  in  the  feet, 


i: 


uii 


■  •.,]  i\ 


l!lJ 


ri.-^< 


'5 


Hi! 
li'' 


ill 

■  ii.:;! 


"ii" 
1  i'!  it 


jlllli 


'■\';\ 

iliiii 


1 .1.1 


.1 

■I'll 
.111, 


l,\\ 


,,■11 
II  lU 


I! 
."•II 


110 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


which  rendered  it  extremely  painful  to  walk ; 
the  country  was  also  rough  and  hilly,  and  the 
weather  wet  and  cold.  About  three  hours  be- 
fore dark  we  came  to  a  large  bay,  which  ap- 
peared to  be  four  leagues  over. 

"  Here  my  guide,  Perpheela,  took  a  canoe 
and  all  our  baggage,  and  set  off,  seemingly  to 
cross  the  bay.  He  appeared  to  leave  me  in 
an  abrupt  manner,  and  told  me  to  follow  the 
two  attendants.  This  gave  me  some  uneasi- 
ness. I  now  followed  Perpheela's  two  attend- 
ants, keeping  the  bay  in  view ;  but  we  had  not 
gone  above  six  miles  before  we  saw  a  canoe 
approaching  us  froip  the  opposite  side  of  the 
bay,  in  which  were  two  Indians.  As  soon  as 
my  guides  saw  the  canoe,  we  ran  to  the  shore 
from  the  hills  and  hailed  them,  and  finding 
they  did  not  hear  us,  we  got  some  bushes  and 
M^aved  them  in  the  air,  which  they  saw,  and 
stood  directly  for  us.  This  canoe  was  sent 
by  Perpheela  to  bring  me  across  the  bay,  and 
shorten  the  'distance  of  the  journey. 

"  It  was  beginning  to  be  dark  when  the 
canoe  came  to  us.  It  was  a  skin  canoe,  after 
the  Esquimaux  plan,  with  two  holes  to  ac- 
commodate two  sitters.  The  Indians  that  came 
in  the  canoe  talked  a  little  with  my  two 
guides,  and  then  came  to  me  and  desired  I 
would    get    into  the  canoe.      This   I   did   not 


ii 


•I 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


Ill 


walk ; 
id  the 
rs  be- 
;h  ap- 


g' 


canoe 

ly  to 

me   in 

w  the 

uneasi- 

atteiid- 

lad  not 

canoe 

of  the 

oon    as 

e  shore 

finding 

les  and 

LW,  and 

is    sent 

iy,  and 

len  the 
)e,  after 
to  ac- 
at  came 
ay  two 
jsired  I 
did   not 


very  readily  agree  to,  however,  as  there  was 
no  other  place  for  me  but  to  be  thrust  into 
the  space  between  the  hole§,  extended  at 
length  upon  my  back,  and  wholly  excluded 
from  seeing  the  way  I  went,  or  the  power  of 
extricating  myself  upon  any  emergency.  But 
as  there  was  no  alternative,  I  submitted  thus 
to  be  stowed  away  in  bulk,  and  went  head 
foremost  very  swift  through  the  v/ater  about 
an  hour,  when  I  felt  the  canoe  strike  a 
beach,  and  afterwards  lifted  up  and  carried 
some  distance,  and  then  set  down  again  ;  after 
which  I  was  drawn  out  by  the  shoulders  by 
three  or  four  men,  for  it  was  now  so  dark  that 
I  could  not  tell  who  they  were,  though  I  was 
conscious  I  heard  a  language  that  was  new. 

"  I  was  conducted  by  two  of  these  persons, 
who  appeared  to  be  strangers,  about  forty  rods, 
when  I  saw  lights,  and  a  number  of  huts  like 
those  I  left  in  the  morning.  As  we  approached 
one  of  them,  a  door  opened,  and  discovered  a 
lamp,  by  which,  to  my  joy  and  surprise,  I  dis- 
covered that  the  two  men,  who  held  me  by 
each  arm,  were  Europeans,  fair  and  comely, 
and  concluded  from  their  appearance  they  were 
Russians,  which  I  soon  after  found  to  be  true. 
As  we  entered  the  hut,  which  was  particularly 
long,  I  saw,  arranged  on  each  side,  on  a  plat- 
form of  plank,  a  number  of   Indians,  who  all 


k 


? 


ml 

MS 


W 


■il 


i'->>'j; 


fi, 


.il)! 

11  ,'l 


lli:;: 
III'', 


liil! 


i|l"l 


1  i,;i'  i 


1  ii|  I' 


II 
I 

m 
M 


■''"! 


^    ;   1 

ill'; 


m 

i.iijii 


^t?'^; 

'Sim 

'111  1 
■  !'  , 

^i^--' 

^;'l!i 

'l!!i 

*'tff  i; 

1 

&& 

•' ! 

i 

1         i 

ml 

i 

112 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


bowed  to  me ;  and  as  I  advanced  to  the  fur- 
ther end  of  the  hut,  there  were  c*her  Russians. 
When  I  reache'd  the  end  of  the  rnom,  I  was 
seated  on  a  bench  covered  with  fur  skins,  and 
as  I  was  much  fatigued,  wet,  and  cold,  I  had 
a  change  of  garments  brought  me,  consisting 
of  a  bkie  silk  shirt  and  drawers,  a  fur  cap, 
boots,  and  gown,  all  which  I  put  on  with  the 
same  cheerfulness  they  were  presented  with. 
Hospitality  is  a  virtue  peculiar  to  man,  and 
the  obligation  is  as  great  to  receive  as  to 
confer. 

"  As  soon  as  I  was  rendered  warm  and  com- 
fortable, a  table  was  set  before  me  with  a 
lamp  upon  it ;  all  the  Russians  in  the  house 
sat  down  round  me,  and  the  bottles  of  spirits, 
tobacco,  snuff,  and  whatever  Perpheela  had, 
were  brought  and  set  upon  it.  These  I  pre- 
sented to  the  company,  intimating  that  they 
were  presents  from  Commodore  Cook,  who 
was  an  Englishman.  One  of  the  company  then 
gave  me  to  understand,  that  all  the  white  peo- 
ple I  saw  there  were  subjects  of  the  Empress 
Catharine  of  Russia,  and  rose  and  kissed  my 
hand,  the  rest  uncovering  their  heads.  I  then 
informed  them,  as  weli  as  1  could,  that  Com- 
modore Cook  wanted  to  see  some  of  them, 
and  had  sent  me  there  to  conduct  them  to 
our  ships. 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


113 


to 


"  These  preliminaries  over,  we  had  supper, 
which  consisted  of  boiled  whale,  halibut  fried 
in  oil,  and  broiled  salmon.  The  latter  I  ate, 
and  they  gave  me  rye  bread,  but  would  eat 
none  of  it  themselves.  They  were  very  fond 
of  the  rum,  which  they  drank  without  any 
mixture  or  measure.  I  had  a  very  comfortable 
bed  composed  of  different  fur  skins,  both  under 
and  over  me,  and  being  harassed  the  preceding 
dsLj,  I  went  soon  to  rest.  After  I  had  lain 
down,  the  Russians  assembled  the  Indians  in 
a  very  silent  manner,  and  said  prayers  after 
the  manner  of  the  Greek  Church,  which  is 
much  like  the  Roman. 

"  I  could  not  but  observe  with  what  partic- 
ular satisfaction  the  Indians  performed  their 
devoirs  to  God,  through  the  medium  of  their 
little  crucifixes,  and  with  what  pleasure  they 
went  through  the  multitude  of  ceremonies  at- 
tendant on  that  sort  of  worship.  I  think  it  a 
religion  the  best  calculated  in  the  world  to 
gain  proselytes,  when  the  people  are  either  un- 
willing or  unable  to  speculate,  or  when  they 
cannot  be  made  acquainted  with  the  history 
and  prmciples  of  Christianity  without  a  formal 
education.  * 

"  I  had  a  very  comfortable  night's  rest,  and 
did  not  wake  the  next  morning  until  late.  As 
soon  as  I  was  up,  I  was   conducted    to  a  hut 

VOL.     XIV.  8 


i 


4.1  |fi 


m 


m 


t'SA 


'Vi-  ■ 

■m 

111 


■u 


li! 


1 1,". 

lll'li 


!lh, 
111;'": 

!  !!i':'i 

i  irili 

'  li'M  ■ 
i    ll'lii; 

"  I'!   I 


M 


m 


illi 


iiili 


ill! 
"Ill' 


lli'i 


t-u\, 


i'ii 


iiil 

lil! 


4. 

■ii' 
lit 


114 


AMERICAN     BI06RAPHT. 


at  a  little  distance  from  the  one  1  had  slept 
in,  where  I  saw  a  number  of  platforms  raised 
about  three  feet  from  the  ground,  and  covered 
with  dry  coarse  grass  and  some  small  green 
bushes.  There  were  several  of  the  Russians 
already  here,  besides  those  that  conducted  me, 
and  several  Indians,  who  were  heating  water 
in  a  large  copper  caldron  over  a  furnace,  the 
heat  of  which,  and  the  steam  which  evapo- 
rated from  ■  the  hot  water,  rendered  the  hut, 
which  was  very  tight,  extremely  hot  and  suf- 
focating. 

*'  I  soon  understood  this  was  a  hot  bath,  of 
which  I  was  asked  to  make  use  in  a  friendly 
manner.  The  apparatus  being  a  little  curious, 
I  consented  to  it,  but  before  I  had  finished 
undressing  myself,  I  was  overcome  by  the  sud- 
den change  of  the  air,  fainted  away,  and  fell 
back  on  the  platform  I  was  sitting  on.  I  was, 
however,  soon  relieved  by  having  cold  and 
lukewarm  water  administered  to  my  face  and 
different  parts  of  my  body.  I  finished  undress- 
ing, and  proceeded  as  I  saw  the  rest  do,  who 
were  now  all  undressed.  The  Indians,  who 
served  us,  brought  us,  as  we  sat  or  extended 
ourselves  on  the  platforms,  water  of  different 
temperatures,  from  that  which  was  as  hot  as 
we  could  bear,  to  quite  cold.  The  hot  water 
was  accompanied  with    some   hard  soap  and  a 


JOHN    LEDYARD. 


115 


d  slept 
raised 
lovered 
green 
-iissians 
ed  me, 
water 
.ce,  the 
evapo- 
le  hut, 
nd  suf- 

3ath,  of 
friendly- 
curious, 
finished 
the  sud- 
and  fell 

I  was, 
)ld  and 
ice  and 
mdress- 
io,  who 
IS,  who 
ttended 
lifferent 

hot  as 
t  water 
>  and  a 


I 


flesh-brush ;  it  was  not,  however,  thrown  on 
the  body  from  the  dish,  but  sprinkled  on  with 
the  green  bushes.  After  this,  the  water  made 
use  of  was  less  warm,  and  by  several  grada- 
tions became  at  last  quite  cold,  which  con- 
cluded the  ceremony. 

"  We  again  dressed  and  returned  to  our 
lodgings,  where  our  breakfast  was  smoking  on 
the  table ;  but  the  flavor  of  our  feast,  as  well 
as  its  appearance,  had  nearly  produced  a  re- 
lapse in  my  spirits,  and  no  doubt  would,  if  I 
had  not  had  recourse  to  some  of  the  brandy 
I  had  brought,  which  happily  saved  me.  I 
was  a  good  deal  uneasy,  lest  the  cause  of  my 
discomposure  should  disoblige  my  friends,  \vh6 
meant  to  treat  me  in  the  best  manner  they 
could.  I  therefore  attributed  my  illness  to  the 
bath,  which  might  possibly  have  partly  occa- 
sioned it,  for  I  am  not  very  subject  to  faint- 
ing. I  could  eat  none  of  the  breakfast,  how- 
ever, though  far  from  wanting  an  appetite.  It 
was  mostly  of  whale,  sea-horse,  and  bear, 
which,  though  smoked,  dried,  and  boiled,  pro- 
duced a  composition  of  smells  very  offensive 
at  nine  or  ten  in  the  morning.  I  therefore 
desired  I  might  have  a  piece  of  smoked  sal- 
mon broiled  dry,  which  I  ate  with  some  of 
my  own  biscuit. 

"  After    breakfast  I    intended    to    set   oflf  on 


kli' 


1 


'U^ 


"I 


In 


;'Si«.': 


l!;:i!l 


11 


■tll  ' 

III'  i:l 

'jl"  11) 


!' 


■II! 


l|",i|il 

I  III  !lii 
;  !  i;' 

1  II": 


m 


il! 

■II!! 


"Ilii 


il 

;i'|.in 

111  I 
.  :'i!i 

Jii '' 

t 
"''■il 

iliijl 

!'ll    ! 


i;'!(i 


1^ 


ii!|i 


116 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


my  return  to  the  shi[)S,  though  there  came  on 
a  disagreeable  snow  storm.  But  my  new-found 
friends  objected  to  it,  and  gave  me  to  under- 
stand, that  I  should  go  the  next  day,  and,  if 
I  chose,  three  of  them  would  accompany  me. 
This  I  immediately  agreed  to,  as  it  anticipated 
a  favor  I  intended  to  ask  them,  though  I  be- 
fore much  doubted  whether  they  would  com- 
ply with  it.  I  amused  myself  within  doors, 
while  it  snowed  without,  by  writing  down  a 
few  words  of  the  original  languages  of  the 
American  Indians,  and  of  the  Asiatics,  who 
came  over  to  this  coast  with  these  Russians 
from  Kamtschatka. 

"  In  the  afternoon  the  weather  cleared  up, 
and  I  went  out  to  see  how  those  Russian  ad- 
venturers were  situated.  I  found  the  whole 
village  to  contain  about  thirty  huts,  all  of 
which  were  built  partly  under  ground,  and 
covered  with  turf  at  the  bottom,  and  coarse 
grass  at  the  top.  The  only  circumstance  that 
can  recommend  them  is  their  warmth,  which 
is  occasioned  partly  by  their  manner  of  con- 
struction, and  partly  by  a  kind  of  oven,  in 
which  they  constantly  keep  a  fire  night  and 
day.  They  sleep  on  platforms  built  on  each 
side  of  the  hut,  on  which  they  have  a  num- 
ber of  bear  and  other  skins,  which  render  them 
comfortable  ;  and  as  they  have   been   educated 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


11 


and 


in  a  hardy  manner,  they  need  little  or  no  other 
support,  than  what  they  prucure  from  the  sea 
and  from  hunting. 

"  The  number  of  Russians  were  about  thir- 
ty, and  they  had  with  them  about  seventy 
Kamtschadales,  or  Indians  from  Kamtschatka. 
These,  with  some  of  the  American  Indians, 
whom  they  had  entered  into  friendship  with, 
occupied  the  village,  enjoyed  every  benefit  in 
common  with  the  Russians,  and  were  converts 
to  their  religion.  Such  other  of  the  aborigi- 
nes of  the  island,  as  had  not  become  converts 
to  their  sentiments  in  religious  and  civil  mat- 
ters, were  .  excluded  from  such  privileges,'  and 
were  prohibited  from  wearing  certain  arms. 

"I  also  found  a  small  sloop  of  about  thirty 
tons'  burden  lying  in  a  cove  behind  the  vil- 
lage, and  a  hut  near  her,  containing  her  sails, 
cordage,  and  other  sea  equipage,  and  one  old 
iron  three  pounder.  It  is  natural  to  an  ingen- 
uous mind,  when  it  enters  a  town,  a  house,  or 
ship,  that  has  been  rendered  famous  by  any 
particular  event,  to  feel  the  full  force  of  that 
pleasure,  which  results  from  gratifying  a  noble 
curiosity.  I  was  no  sooner  informed,  that  this 
sloop  was  the  same  in  which  the  famous  Be- 
ring had  performed  those  discoveries,  which 
did  him  so  much  honor,  and  his  country  such 
great  service,  than  I  was  determined  to  go  on 


I 


^n:':\ 


ml 

ml 


'  F'li 

;  iill'II' 


111  '  1 


lii'ii!; 


I  ii  'I' 


ji'!! 


i 


III' 

.1, 


ii-ii  •* 
Hill  ■ 


11 


lit, "  I 

l:.l  III  , 


!:'?i| 


!l; 


■;!l:|' 
'ifflii; 

"I' 


118 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY, 


board  of  her,  and  indulge  the  generous  feelings 
the  occasion   inspired. 

"  I  intimated  my  wishes  to  the  man  that 
accompanied  me,  who  went  back  to  the  vil- 
lage, and  brought  a  canoe,  in  which  we  went 
on  board,  where  I  remained  about  an  hour, 
and  then  returned.  This  little  bark  belonged 
to  Kamtschatka,  and  came  from  thence  with 
the  Asiatics  already  mentioned  to  this  island, 
which  they  call  Onalaska,  in  order  to  estab- 
lish a  pelt  and  fur  factory.  They  had  been 
here  about  five  years,  and  go  over  to  Kamts- 
chatka in  her  once  a  year  to  deliver  their 
merchandise,  and  get  a  recruit  of  such  supplies 
as  they  need  from  the  chief  factory  there,  of 
which  I  shall  take  further  notice  hereafter. 

"  The  next  day  I  set  off  from  this  village, 
well  satisfied  with  the  happy  issue  of  a  tour, 
which  was  now  as  agreeable  as  it  was  at  first 
undesirable.  I  was  accompanied  by  three  of 
the  principal  Russians,  and  some  attendants. 
We  embarked  at  the  village  in  a  large  skin 
boat,  much  like  our  large  whale-boats,  rowing 
with  twelve  oars ;  and  as  we  struck  directly 
across  the  bay,  we  shortened  our  distance  sev- 
eral miles,  and  the  next  day,  passing  the  same 
village  I  had  before  been  at,  we  arrived  by 
sunset  at  the  bay  where  the  ships  lay,  and 
before  dark  I    got  on  board  with  our  new  ac- 


JOHN     LEDTARD. 


119 


quaintances.  The  satisfaction  this  discovery 
gave  Cook,  and  the  honor  that  redounded  to 
me,  may  be  easily  imagined,  and  the  several 
conjectures  respecting  the  appearance  of  a  for- 
eign intercourse  were  rectified  and  confirmed." 
Such  other  researches  as  could  be  pursued 
at  that  season  having  been  made  at  Onalaska, 
and  along  the  coast,  Cook  left  the  continent 
and  shaped  his  course  for  the  Sandwich  Islands. 
Two  months'  sailing  brought  him  in  view  of 
one  of  the  group,  not  discovered  on  his  voy- 
age to  the  north,  called  by  the  natives  Owhy- 
hee,  or  Hawyhec,  as  Led  yard  writes  it,  or  Ha- 
waii, according  to  the  modern  orthography  of 
the  missionaries.  As  our  traveller  is  more  mi- 
nute in  his  description  of  the  events  that  hap- 
pened at  this  island,  and  particularly  in  his 
account  of  the  death  of  Captain  Cook,  than 
most  narrators,  and  as  he  describes  only  what 
came  within  his  own  knowledge,  it  may  be 
wcrth  while  to  dwell  a  little  upon  these  topics. 


r 

, ''  ■  ■    t  ■ 
1  .'   I  ■ 

mm 


I'si 


an 


'  iLi 


■  ill ' 
'"III 


:  Iti  I: 

;  II ';, .'  ' 

■    I'lH 


lli'l 


h 


120  AMERICAN     BIOGRArilY. 


CHAPTER   V. 

Cook  arrives  again  at  the  Sandwich  Islands.  — 
The  Natives  show  Symptoms  of  Uneasiness.  — 
Cook  departs,  but  is  compcJhd  by  a  Storm  to 
return.  —  Natives  receive  him  coldly.  —  Is  at- 
tacked and  killed.  —  Ltdyard'^s  Description  of 
the  Event.  —  Expedition  sails  for  Kamtschat- 
ka,  and  returns  to  England.  —  Lcdyard's  Opin- 
ions respecting  the  first  Peopling  of  the  South 
Sea  Islands. 


P 


hfm" 


I 

m 


m 


Ijliii 


','>i»i 


^iii'ii 


ii'Mll 


il 


l''lii 
'II 


I 

:i,!i| 


"3: 

til 


I  I 


I  L 


The  ships  were  several  days  among  the 
islands,  sailing  in  different  directions,  before  a 
harbor  was  discovered  in  which  they  could 
anchor  with  safety,  and  where  water  and  pro- 
visions could  be  procured.  At  length  they  en- 
tered a  commodious  bay  on  the  south  side  of 
Owhyhee,  extending  inland  about  two  miles 
and  a  half,  having  the  town  of  Kearakekua 
on  one  side,  and  Kircrna  on  the  other.  These 
towns  contained  fourtevui  hundred  houses.  The 
crowds  of  people  that  flocked  to  the  shore,  as 
the  vessels  sailed  in  and  came  to  anchor,  were 
prodigious.  They  had  assembled  from  the  in- 
terior and  the  coast.  Three  thousand  canoes 
were  counted  in  the  bay,  filled  with  men, 
women,   and    children,    to    the    number    of    at 


ii'i 


JOHN     LEDYARD 


121 


mds.  — ' 
ncss.  — 
'toriii  to 
-  Is  at- 
)tioii  of 
mtschat- 
s  Opin- 
le  South 


)ng    the 
jefore  a 
y   could 
md   pro- 
they  eii- 
side  of 
'0    miles 
irakekiia 
.    These 
Bs.    The 
shore,  as 
lor,  were 
1  the  in- 
d  canoes 
th    men, 
jr    of    at 


least  fifteen  thousand,  besides  others  that  were 
swimming-  and  sustaining  themselves  on  floats 
in  the  water. 

The  scene  was  animated  and  grotesque  in 
the  extreme.  "The  beach,  the  surrounding 
rocks,  the  tops  of  houses,  the  branches  of  trees, 
and  the  adjacent  hills  were  all  covered  ;  and 
the  shouts  of  joy  and  admiration,  proceeding 
from  the  sonorous  voices  of  the  men,  confused 
with  the  shriller  exclamations  of  the  women 
dancing  and  clapping  their  hands,  the  overset 
ting  of  canoes,  cries  of  the  children,  goods 
afloat,  and  hogs  that  were  brought  to  market 
squealing,  formed  one  of  the  most  curious  pros- 
pects that  can  be  imagined."  But  amidst  this 
immense  concourse,  all  was  peace,  harmony, 
hilarity,  and  good  nature.  Man3''  of  the  natives 
were  contented  to  gaze  and  wonder ;  others, 
by  their  noise  and  actions,  gave  more  imposing 
demonstrations  of  their  joy  and  admiration ; 
while  others  were  busy  in  bartering  away 
hogs,  sweet  potatoes,  and  such  provisions  as 
they  had,   for  articles  that  pleased  their  fancy. 

Cook's  first  visit  to  the  shore  was  attended 
with  a  good  deal  of  ceremony.  Two  chiefs, 
with  long  white  poles  as  ensigns  of  their  au- 
thority, made  a  passage-  among  the  canoes  for 
his  pinnace,  and  the  people,  as  he  was  lowed 
along,   covered   their   faces  with    their  hands. 


m 

k 


Ml: 

w 


m 


if 

ps 

Hi 

m 


mm 
m 


ml 

Ml 


m 

iliii! 


iir:l!l|; 

:!'  'iil 

■'■I 


(lliilii  i 

.1 
!! 


•im 

i 


tm 


mn 


i'iii- 


I'lii- 


:-i!l! 


4 


I'd' 
I 


•3!"' 


122 


AMEIIICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


When  he  landed,  they  fell  prostrate  on  the 
beach  before  him,  and  a  new  set  of  officers 
opened  a  way  for  him  through  the  crowd. 
The  same  expressions  of  awe  were  manifested, 
as  he  proceeded  from  the  water's  edge.  "  The 
people  upon  the  adjacent  hills,  upon  the  houst  ,, 
on  the  stone  walls,  and  in  the  tops  of  the 
trees,  also  hid  their  faces,  while  he  passed 
along  the  opening ;  but  he  had  no  sooner  passed 
them,  than  they  rose  and  followed  him.  But 
if  Cook  happened  to  turn  his  head,  or  look 
behind  him,  they  were  down  agiin  in  an  in- 
stant, and  up  again  as  soon  whenever  his  face 
was  reverted  to  some  other  quarter.  This 
punctilious  performance  of  respect  in  so  vast 
a  throng,  being  regulated  solely  by  the  acci- 
dental turn  of  one  man's  head,  and  the  trans- 
ition being  sudden  and  short,  rendered  it  very 
difficult  even  for  an  individual  to  be  in  proper 
attitude.  If  he  lay  prostrate  but  a  second  too 
long,  he  was  pretty  sure  not  to  rise  again 
until  he  had  been  trampled  upon  by  all  be- 
hind him,  and  if  he  dar^id  not  to  prostrate 
hitnself,  he  would  stumble  over  those  before 
him  who  did.  This  produced  a  great  many 
laughable  circumstances,  and  as  Cook  walked 
very  fast,  to  get  from  4he  sand  into  the  shades 
of  the  town,  it  rendered  the  matter  still  more 
difficult.      Ac  length,  however,  they  adopted  a 


; 


?:: 


n  the 
(fficers 
;rowd. 
fested, 
"The 

lOUSl  ., 

of   the 
passed 
passed 
But 
)r  look 
an  in- 
lis  face 
This 
so  vast 
,e   acci- 
3  trans- 
it very 
I  proper 
ond  too 
e   again 
all   be- 
prostrate 
5   before 
.t   many 
walked 
e  shades 
ill  more 
lopted  a 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


123 


': 


i 


medium,  that  much  better  answered  a  running 
compliment,  and  did  not  displease  the  chiefs ; 
this  was  to  go  upon  all  fours,  which  was  truly 
ludicrous  among  at  least  ten  thousan'l  people." 
This  confusion  ceased,  hov/ever,  before  long, 
for  Cook  was  conducted  to  the  Moral,  a  sacred 
enclosure,  which  none  but  the  chiefs  and  their 
attendants  were  allowed  to  enter.  Here  he 
was  unmolested,  and  the  presents  were  dis- 
tributed. 

His  first  object  was  to  procure  a  situation 
on  shore  to  erect  tents,  and  fit  up  the  astro- 
nomical instruments.  A  suitable  spot  was 
granted,  on  condition  that  none  of  the  seamen 
should  leave  the  place  after  sunset,  and  with 
a  stipulation  on  the  part  of  the  chiefs,  thai 
none  of  their  people  should  entev  it  by  night. 
To  make  this  effectual,  the  ground  was  marked 
out  by  white  rods,  and  put  under  the  restric- 
tion of  the  tabu,  which  no  native  dared  vio- 
late, being  restrained  by  the  superstitious  fear 
of  offending  the  atuas,  or  invisible  spirits  of 
the  island.  This  caution  surprised  Cook  a  lit- 
tle, as  he  had  not  witnessed  it  among  the  na- 
tives of  the  other  South  Sea  Islands.  It  ap- 
peared reasonable,  and  he  consented  to  it,  not 
foresrsing  the  mischiefs  to  which  it  would 
ultimately  lead.  Ledyard  considers  it  the  ori- 
gin of  all  the  disasters  that  followed.    Restric- 


m 


p 

if 

mi; 
[ml 


» 


i  '*• 


m 


i 


Hi? 


m 


m 


i5',.' 


iil 


iW 


li 


ijf 


ill!"! 


■v'ilHil 

•')l!''''. 

iliiiiiiii! 


! 


>  '11! 
III.-,, 

•0 


ipii'lii 


ill 


.llil'i: 


"I 


m 


124 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


tions  were  imposed,  which  could  not  be  en- 
forced ;  they  were  violated  secretly  at  first, 
then  with  less  reserve,  and  at  last  openly. 

The  men  in  the  tents  were  the  first  to 
transgress,  by  going  abroad  contrary  to  the 
agreement.  The  native  women  were  tempted 
by  them  to  pass  .over  the  prescribed  limits, 
although  they  shuddered  at  the  apprehension 
of  th*?  consequences,  which  might  follow  such 
a  disn^.gard  of  the  tabu.  When  they  found, 
however,  that  no  harm  came  upon  them  from 
the  euraged  atuas,  their  fears  by  degrees  sub- 
sided. This  intercourse  was  not  such  as  to 
raise  the  Europeans  in  the  estimation  of  the 
islanders.  It  was  begun  by  stealth,  and  pros- 
ecuted in  violation  of  the  sacred  injunction  of 
the  tabu;  and  as  no  measures  were  taken  to 
prevent  it,  the  chiefs  naturally  considered  it  an 
infraction  of  the  agreement.  Ledyard  was  him- 
self stationed  on  shore  with  a  guard  of  marines 
to  protect  the  tents,  and  enjoyed  the  best  op- 
portunity for  seeing  and  knowing  what  passed 
in  that  quarter. 

Harmony,  and  a  good  understanding  among 
all  parties,  prevailed  for  several  days.  Cook 
went  through  the  ceremony  of  being  anointed 
with  cocoanut  oil  by  one  of  the  chief  priests, 
and  of  listening  to  a  speech  half  an  hour  in 
length,  on    the    occasion,  from   the  same  high 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


125 


be  en- 
t    first, 

ly- 

irst  to 
to  the 
empted 

limits, 
hension 
w  such 

found, 
m  from 
es  sub- 
1   as   to 

of  the 
id  pros- 
ction  of 
aken  to 
^,d  it  an 
'^as  him- 

marines 

Dest  op- 
passed 

among 

Cook 

nointed 

priests, 
hour  in 
ae  high 


dignitary.  When  Teraiobu,  the  king,  a  feeble 
old  man,  returned  from  one  of  the  other  islands, 
where  he  had  been  on  a  visit,  there  was  an- 
other ceremony,  conducted  with  great  form,  at 
his  meeting  with  Cook.  Entertainments  suc- 
ceeded, and  good  cheer  and  good  humor  were 
seen  everywhere.  Cook  first  invited  Teraiobu 
and  his  chiefs  on  board  to  dinner.  They 
were  temperate,  drinking  water  only,  and  eat- 
ing but  little.  The  old  king  satisfied  him- 
self entirely  with  bread-fruit  and  water,  but 
the  younger  chiefs  comprised  in  their  repast 
the  luxury  of  pork  and  fowls.  They  all  went 
away  well  pleased,  and  the  king  invited  Cook 
to  dine  with  him  the  next  day  at  his  royal 
residence.  The  invitation  was  accepted ;  and 
when  the  hour  came,  the  navigator  and  his 
officers  were  sumptuously  feasted  on  baked 
hog  and  potatoes,  neatly  spread  out  on  green 
p'avtein  leaves,  and  for  beverage  they  were 
t^  j.i'd  with  cocoanut  milk.  The  day  was 
clot: d  V- ith  gymnastic  exercises,  wrestling  and 
boxing,  ordered  by  the  old  king  for  the  amuse- 
ment of  his  guests. 

On  the    next  evening.  Cook  in  his  turn  ex- 
hibited fireworks  on  shore,  much  to  the  amaze- 
ment of  the  beholders,  who  had   never   before 
een    such    a  display.      Many    laughable    inci- 
u  ;nt  ?  occurred.    When  the  first  sky-rocket  was 


i>!' 


m 

,I|IJ!|„|! 


i  I  liilfi 

I  if 


Sii'iil: 


M  ■ 


I'J".  S'!l 


ii.iiiii 


I  It- 


m 


'4 


126 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


discharged,  the  multitude  was  seized  with  the 
greatest  consternation.  Cook  and  his  officers 
"  could  hardly  hold  the  old  feeble  Teraiobu, 
and  some  elderly  ladies  of  quality  that  sat 
among  them ;  and  before  they  had  recovered 
from  this  paroxysm,  nearly  the  whole  host,  that 
a  moment  before  surrounded  them,  had  fled." 
Some  were  Tiuch  frightened  to  return  any- 

more, but  oi  fs  came  back  as  their  fears 
abated,  and  had  the  courage  to  keep  their 
ground  through  the  remainder  of  the  exhibi- 
tion. 

Thus  all  things  were  proceeding,  as  Ledyard 
expresses  it,  "  in  the  old  Otaheite  style  ;  "  the 
visitors  and  the  islanders  were  mutually  pleased 
with  each  other,  kind  offices  were  reciprocated, 
abundant  stores  of  provisions  were  carried  on 
board,  and  prospects  were  favorable. 

While  affairs  were  in  this  train,  Ledyard 
formed  the  design  of  ascending  the  high  peak, 
which  rises  from  the  centre  of  the  island,  and 
is  called  by  the  natives  Mouna  Roa.  Although 
this  mountain  stands  on  an  island  only  ninety 
miles  in  diamet«3r,  yet  it  is  one  of  the  highest 
in  the  world.  Its  elevation  has  been  estimated 
to  be  about  eighteen  thousand  feet,  and  its 
summit  is  usually  covered  with  snow.  From 
his  station  at  the  tents,  Ledyard  sent  a  note 
on  board  the  Resolution  to  Captain  Cook,  ask- 


!  U 


JOHN     LED YARD. 


12; 


ith  the 
oflicers 
eraiobu, 
that  sat 
3Covered 
ost,  that 
id  fled." 
urn  any 
sir  fears 
3p  their 
exhibi- 


Ledyard 
le  ;  "  the 
y  pleased 
iprocated, 
arried   on 

Led  yard 
igh  peak, 
jland,  and 
Although 
ily  ninety 
le  highest 
estimated 
;,  and  its 
IT.  From 
nt  a  note 
^ook,  ask- 


ing permission  to  make  this  jaunt,  for  the 
double  purpose  of  exploring  the  interior,  and, 
if  possible,  climbing  to  he  top  of  the  moun- 
tain. The  request  was  granted.  The  botanist, 
and  the  gunner  of  the  Resolution,  were  deputed 
by  the  commander  to  accompany  him.  Na- 
tives were  also  engaged  to  carry  the  baggage, 
and  serve  as  guides  through  the  woods,  A 
tropical  sun  was  then  pouring  its  rays  on 
them  at  the  Bay  of  Kearakekua,  but  the  snows 
visible  on  the  peak  of  Mouna  Roa  warned 
them  to  provide  additional  clothing,  and  guard 
against  the  effects  of  a  sudden  transition  from 
heat  to  cold.  The  party  at  length  set  off. 
On  first  leaving  the  town,  their  route  lay 
through  enclosed  plantations  of  sweet  potatoes, 
with  a  soil  of  lava,  tilled  in  some  places  with 
difficulty.  Now  and  then  a  patch  of  sugar- 
cane was  seen  in  a  moist  place.  Next  came 
the  open  plantations,  consisting  chiefly  of  bread- 
fruit trees,  and  the  land  began  to  ascend  more 
abruptly. 

"  We  continued  up  the  ascent,"  he  writes, 
"  to  the  distance  of  a  mile  and  a  half  further, 
and  found  the  land  thick  covered  with  wild 
fern,  among  which  our  botanist  found  a  new 
species.  It  was  now  near  sunset,  and  being 
upon  the  skirts  of  these  woods,  that  so  remark- 
ably surrounded   this   island  at  a  uniform  dis- 


:"isl'      ., 


I     !" 


128 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


ll'iii' 
1"|||||'|| 


IS 


af 


:;:»!.     i^! 


''!^     «!' 


:4ili    ml 


I 


"1  i; 


tance  of  four  or  five  miles  from  the  shore,  we 
concluded  to  halt,  especially  as  there  was  a  hut 
hard  by,  that  would  afford  us  a  better  retreat 
during  the  night,  than  what  we  might  expect 
if  we  proceeded.  When  we  reached  the  hut, 
we  found  it  inhabited  by  an  elderly  man,  his 
wife,  and  daughter,  the  emblem  of  innocent, 
uninstructed  beauty.  They  were  somewhat 
discomposed  at  our  appearance  and  equipment, 
and  would  have  left  their  house  through  fear, 
had  not  the  Indians,  who  accompanied  us,  per- 
suaded them  otherwise,  and  at  last  reconciled 
them  to  us.  We  sat  down  together  before  the 
door,  and  from  the  height  of  the  situation  we 
had  a  complete  retrospective  view  of  our  route, 
of  the  town,  of  part  of  the  bay,  and  one  of 
our  ships,  besides  an  extensive  prospect  on  the 
ocean,  and  a  distant  view  of  three  of  the 
neighboring  islands. 

"  As  we  had  proposed  remaining  at  this  hut 
through  the  night,  and  were  willing  to  pre- 
serve what  pro\  Nions  we  had  ready  dressed, 
we  purchased  a  little  pig,  and  had  him  dressed 
by  our  host,  who,  finding  his  account  in  his 
visitants,  bestirred  himself  and  soon  had  it 
ready.  After  supper  we  had  some  of  our  bran- 
dy diluted  with  the  mountaia  water;  and  we 
had  so  long  been  confined  to  the  poor  brack- 
ish water  at  the  bay  below,  that  it  was  a  kind 


i-^t; 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


129 


hore,  we 
ms  a  hut 
r  retreat 
t   expect 
the  hut, 
man,  his 
innocent, 
omewhat 
luipment, 
ugh  fear, 
d  us,  per- 
econciled 
)efore  the 
lation  we 
our  route, 
d  one   of 
ct  on  the 
e    of   the 

this  hut 

to  pre- 
j  dressed, 
m  dressed 
nt  in   his 

had  it 
our  bran- 

and  we 
or  brack- 
ras  a  kind 


V 


: 


; 


of  nectar  to  us.  As  soon  as  the  sun  was  set, 
we  found  a  considerable  difference  in  the  state 
of  (he  air.  At  night  a  heavy  dew  fell,  and  we 
felt  it  very  chilly,  and  had  recourse  to  our 
blankets,  notwithstanding  we  were  in  the  hut. 
"  The  next  morning,  when  we  came  to  en- 
ter the  woods,  we  found  there  had  been  a 
heavy  rain,  though  none  of  it  had  approached 
us,  notwithstanding  we  were  within  two  hun- 
dred yards  of  the  skirts  of  the  forest.*  And  it 
seemed  to  be  a  matter  of  fact,  both  from  the 
information  of  the  natives  and  our  own  obser- 
vations, that  neither  the  rains  nor  the  dews 
descended  lower  than  where  the  woods  termi- 
nated, unless  at  the  equinoxes  or  some  period- 
ical conjuncture,  by  which  means  the  space 
between  the  woods  and  the  shore  is  rendered 
warm,  and  fit  for  the  purposes  of  culture,  and 
the  vegetation  of  tropical  productions.  We 
traversed  these  woods  by  a  compass,  keeping 
a  direct  course  for  the  peak,  and  were  so  happy 
the  first  day  as  to  find  a  footpath  that  tended 
nearly  our  due  course,  by  which  means  we 
travelled  by  estimation  about  fifteen  miles ;  and 
though  it  would  have  been  no  extraordinary 
march,  had  circumstances  been  different,  yet, 
as  we  found  them,  we  thought  it  a  very  great 
one;  for  it  was  not  only  excessively  miry  and 
rough,  but  the  way  was  mostly  an  ascent,  and 

VOL.    XIV.  9 


m 


|i'  ii 


m  ii , 


'M      i, 


!    31  '     I 'I 


•»r 


Ii      ! 


111!     'I 


ilil'il  i     '  I 


I'.' 


J  30 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


we  had  been  unused  to  walking,  and  especial- 
ly to  carrying  such  loads  as  we  had.  Our 
Indian  companions  were  much  more  fatigued 
than  we  were,  though  they  had  nothing  to 
carry,  and,  what  displeased  us  very  much,  would 
not  carry  anything. 

"  Our  botanical  researches  delayed  us  some- 
what. The  sun  had  not  set  when  we  halted ; 
yet,  meeting  with  a  situation  that  pleased  us, 
and  notii  being  limited  as  to  time,  we  spent 
the  remaining  part  of  the  day  as  humor  dic- 
tated, some  in  botanizing,  and  those  who  had 
fowling-pieces  with  them  in  shooting.  For  my 
part,  I  could  not  but  think*  the  present  appear- 
ance of  our  encampment  claimed  a  part  of  our 
attention,  and  therefore  set  about  some  altera- 
tions and  amendments.  It  was  the  trunk  of 
a  tree,  that  had  fallen  by  the  side  of  the 
path,  and  lay  wit?i  one  end  transversely  over 
another  tree,  that  had  fallen  before  in  an  op- 
posite direction,  and  as  it  measured  twenty- 
two  feet  in  circumference,  and  lay  four  feet 
from  the  ground,  it  afforded  very  good  shelter 
except  at  the  sides,  which  defect  I  supplied 
by  large  pieces  of  bark,  and  a  good  quantity 
of  boughs,  vvhich  rendered  it  very  commodious. 
We  slept  through  the  night  under  it  much 
better  thai  we  had  done  the  preceding,  not- 
withstanding there  was  a  heavy  dew,  and  the 
air  cold. 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


131 


especial- 
d.  Our 
fatigued 
thing  to 
h,  would 

us  some- 
3  halted; 
eased  us, 
tve   spent 
imor  dic- 
who  had 
For  my 
)t  appear- 
irt  of  our 
16   altera- 
trunk  of 

of  the 
sel.y  over 
n  an   op- 

twenty- 

four   feet 

Dd  shelter 

;  supplied 

quantity 
nmodious. 

it    much 
ding,  not- 

and  the 


9 

t 


"The  next  morning  we  set  out  in  good 
spirits,  hoping  that  day  to  reach  the  snowy 
peak  ;  but  we  had  not  gone  a  mile,  before  tho 
path,  that  had  hitherto  so  much  facilitated  our 
progress,  began  not  only  to  take  a  direction 
southward  of  west,  but  had  been  so  little  fre- 
quented as  to  be  almost  effaced.  In  this  sit- 
uation we  consulted  our  Indian  convoy,  but  to 
no  purpose.  We  then  advised  among  our- 
selves, and  at  length  concluded  to  proceed  by 
the  nearest  route  without  any  beaten  track, 
and  went  in  this  manner  about  four  miles  fur- 
ther, finding  the  way  even  more  steep  and 
rough  than  we  had  yet  experienced,  but,  above 
all,  impeded  by  such  impenetrable  thickets  as 
rendered  it  impossible  for  us  to  proceed  any 
further.  We  therefore  abandoned  our  design, 
and  returning  in  our  own  track,  reached  the 
retreat  we  had  improved  the  last  night,  hav- 
ing been  the  whole  day  in  walking  only  about 
ten  miles ;  and  we  had  been  very  assiduous 
too. 

"  We  found  the  country  here,  as  well  as  at 
the  sea-shore,  universally  overspread  with  lava, 
and  also  saw  several  subterranean  excavations, 
that  had  every  appearance  of  past  eruption 
and  fire.  Our  botanist  to-day  met  with  great 
success,  and  we  had  also  shot  a  number  of  fine 
birds  of  the  liveliest  and  most  variegated  pin- 


',11    1 1 , 


ilili    . 


I'A 


If':'    !      I  . 


I 'I 
il 


I , . .  '  t-  III 

m 


:r:|i|;  : 

ill;  .;: 

Im  III 

M  I 

■iii;i:'i' 


■':;;'< 


fli 


;i!fi 


132 


AMCHICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


mage  that  any  of  us  had  ever  met  with  ;  but 
we  heard  no  melody  among  them.  Except 
these,  we  saw  no  other  kind  of  birds  but  the 
screech-owl ;  neither  did  we  see  any  kind  of 
quadruped ;  but  we  caught  several  curious  in- 
sects. The  woods  here  are  thick  and  luxu- 
riant, the  largest  trees  being  nearly  thirty  feet 
in  the  girth,  and  these  with  the  shrubbery  un- 
derneath, and  the  whole  intersected  with  vines, 
render  it  very  umbrageous. 

"  The  next  day,  about  two  in  the  afternoon, 
we  cleared  the  woods  by  our  old  route,  and 
by  six  o'clock  reached  the  tents,  having  pen- 
etrated about  twenty-four  miles,  and,  we  sup- 
posed, within  eleven  of  the  peak.  Our  Indians 
were  extremely  fatigued,  though  they  had  no 
baggage."  * 

Were  we  to  follow  the  author  closely  in 
his  narrative,  we  should  here  introduce  his  de- 
scription of  the  Island  of  Hawaii,  and  of  the 
various  objects  that  attracted  his  notice.  He 
speaks  of  the  geological  structure  of  ihe  island, 
its  soil,  productions,  climate,  and  animals ;  the 

*  This  mountain  was  never  ascended  to  the  top,  till  re- 
cently. Mr.  Goodrich,  one  of  the  American  missionaries 
on  the  island,  was  the  first  person  who  persevered  in  reach- 
ing the  summit  He  ascended  on  a  side  of  the  moun- 
tain nearly  opposite  to  that  where  Ledyard  made  the 
attempt 


-; 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


133 


ith;  but 

Except 

but  the 

kind  of 
rious  iii- 
nd  luxu- 
lirty  feet 
t)bery  uri- 
ith  vines, 

afternoon, 
oute,  and 
ving  pen- 
,  we  sup- 
ur  Indians 
y  had   no 

closely  in 
ice  his  de- 
iiid  of  the 
)tice.  He 
the  island, 
liinals  ;  the 

le  top,  till  re- 
n  missionaries 
jred  in  reach- 
of  the  moun- 
rd   made    the 


customs  of  the  natives,  their  superstitions,  gov- 
ernment, and  criminal  offences  ;  their  way  of 
living,  and  the  remarkable  differences  between 
them  and  the  other  islanders  of  the  South  Sea. 
On  some  of  these  topics  liis  remarks  are  ori- 
ginal and  striking ;  but  we  must  pass  over  them, 
and  hasten  to  particulars  of  higher  interest. 
■  Before  two  weeks  had  expired,  the  natives 
began  to  show  symptoms  of  uneasiness  at  the 
presence  of  the  foreiginprs,  and  to  treat  them 
with  diminished  respect.  In  truth,  very  fittle 
pains  were  taken  to  preserve  their  good  opin- 
ion, or  to  keep  alive  their  kind  feelings ;  and 
one  untoward  event  after  -another  was  perpet- 
ually occurring,  to  lessen  the  admiration  which 
novelty  had  excited,  and  to  alienate  them  from 
their  newly  made  friends.  Ledyard  mentions 
several  incidents  of  this  description,  which  are 
not  alluded  to  in  the  authorized  account  of 
Cook's  last  voyage.  Some  of  them,  probably, 
were  not  known  to  the  writer,  and  others  were 
omitted  from  motives  of  policy,  as  being  rather 
evidences  of  neglect  or  injudicious  manage- 
ment, than  of  cautious  or  discreet  measures. 
The  natives  first  began  to  practise  slight  in- 
sults, which  seemed  to  proceed  rather  from  a 
mischievous,  than  a  malignant  temper. 

The  master's  mate  was  ordered  to    take    on 
board  the  rudder  of  the  Resolution,  which  had 


w 


I!' 


SI; 


!III,|l:|'     I 


II 


Mir 
'«!'!■ 

•ll  II, I     1 1, 

!'■'    .'• 

^$   111': 
■i'Vll   lii'i 

|!      : 


I 

1 1 


01  I 
:|  I 

•'ft  ir 

11 


.iv'j    ill  I 
fell    il!'    ii: 


111 


134 


AMERICAN     BIOGUArHr. 


I! 


been  sent  ashore  for  repairs.  It  was  too  heavy 
for  his  men  to  remove,  and  he  asked  the  na- 
tives to  assist  them.  Fifty  or  sixty  immedi- 
ately caught  hold  of  the  rope  attached  to  the 
rudder,  and  began  to  pull.  But  whether  in 
sport,  or  by  design,  they  caused  only  embar- 
rassment and  disorder.  "  This  exasperated  the 
mate,  and  he  struck  two  or  three  of  them, 
which  being  observed  by  a  chief  that  was 
present,  he  interposed.  The  mate  haughtily 
tola  the  chief  to  order  his  people  to  assist 
him,  and  the  chief  as  well  as  the  people,  hav- 
ing no  intention  but  of  showing  their  disregard 
and  scorn,  which  had  long  been  growing  to- 
wards us,  laughed  at  him,  hooted  him,  and 
threw  stones  at  him  and  the  crew,  who,  taking 
up  some  trunnels  that  were  lying  by,  fell  upon 
the  Indians,  beat  many  of  them  much,  and 
drove  the  rest  several  rods  back ;  but  the 
crowd,  collecting  at  a  little  distance,  formed, 
and  began  to  use  abusive  language,  challenge 
our  people,  and  throw  stones,  some  of  which 
came  into  our  encampment."  Ledyard's  guard 
of  marines  was  ordered  out,  "  at  least  to  make 
a  show  of  resentment,'"  and  the  commanding 
officer  at  the  tents  went  out  himself  to  quell 
the  disturbance ;  but  they  were  all  pelted  with 
stones,  and  retired,  leaving  the  field  to  the  na- 
tives till  night,  when  the  rudder  was  taken 
on  board 


! 

I 


I  •    ■  *       I 


JOHN      LED YARD. 


135 


heavy 
le  na- 
nmedi- 
to  the 
her  in 
embar- 
ted  the 

them, 
at    was 
ughtily 
assist 
e,  hav- 
isregard 
hig    to- 
rn, and 
1,  taking 
ell  upon 
ich,  and 
but    the 
formed, 
hallenge 
f   which 
's  guard 
to  make 
manding 

to  quell 
Ited  with 
1  the  na- 
as  taken 


I 


« Instances  of  this  kind,  though  of  less  ap- 
parent importance,  had  happened  several  times, 
before  this  on  sliore ;  but  on  board  hardly  a 
day  passed,  after  the  first  week,  that  did  not 
produce  some  petty  disturbance  in  one  or  both 
of  the  ships,  and  they  chiefly  proceeded  from 
thefts  perpetrated  by  the  natives  in  a  manner 
little  short  of  robbery.  Cook  and  Teraiobu 
were  fully  employed  in  adjusting  and  com- 
promising these  differences  ;  and  as  there  was 
really  a  reciprocal  disinterested  regard  between 
him  and  this  good  old  man,  it  tended  r  ach 
to  facilitate  these  amicable  negotiations.  But 
in  the  midst  of  these  measures.  Cook  was  in- 
sensible of  the  daily  decline  of  his  greatness 
and  importance  in  the  estimation  of  the  na- 
tives ;  nay,  so  confident  was  he,  and  so  secure 
in  the  opposite  opinion,  that  on  the  4th  of 
February  he  came  to  Kearakekua,  with  his 
boats,  to  purchase  and  carry  off  the  fence  round 
the  Moral,  which  he  wanted  to  wood  the  ships 
with.  When  he  landed,  he  sent  for  the  priest 
Kikinny,  and  some  other  chiefs,  and  offered 
them  two  iron  hatchets  for  the  fence.  The 
chiefs  were  astonished,  not  only  at  the  inade- 
'quate  price,  but  at  the  proposal,  and  refused 
him. 

"Cook  was  as  much  chagrined  as  they  were 
surprised,  and,  not   meeting  with  the  easy  ac- 


1 


flf 

f 


p 

m 
mi}'. 


W'fi 


m 


m 


li 


i!*  ,1  J' I 

k  I  i 


ill: 


11 


.il 


li^llli 


136 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAi"!'/. 


quic.:cericehe  expected  to  his  requisition;:},  gave 
immediate  orders  to  his  people  to  ascend  the 
Morai,  break  down  the  fence,  and  load  the 
boats  with  it,  leading  the  way  himself  to  en- 
force his  orders.  The  poor,  dismayed  chiefs, 
dreading  his  displeasure,  which  they  s'.ivv  ap- 
proaching, followed  him  upon  the  Morai  to 
behold  the  fence  that  enclosed  tbj  mdnsions 
of  their  noble  ancestors,  and  the  images  of 
their  gods,  torn  to  pieces  by  a  handful  of  rude 
strangers,  without  the  power,  or  at  least  with- 
out the  resolution,  of  opposing  their  sacrilegious 
depredations. 

"When  Cook  had  rocended  the  Morai,  he 
once  more  offered  the  hatchets  to  the  chiefs. 
It  was  a  very  unequal  price,  if  the  honest 
chiefs  would  have  accepted  of  the  bribe ;  and 
Cook  offered  it  only  to  evade  the  imputation, 
of  taking  their  property  without  payment. 
The  chiefs  again  refused  it.  Cook  then  added 
another  hatchet,  and,  kindling  into  resentment, 
told  them  to  take  it  or  nothing.  Kikinny,  to 
whom  the  offer  was  made,  turned  pale,  and 
trembled  as  he  stood,  but  still  refused.  Cook 
thrust  them  into  his  garment,  that  was  folded 
round  him,  and  left  him  immediately,  to  hastei> 
the  execution  of  his  orders.  As  for  Kikinny, 
he  turned  to  some  of  his  menials,  and  made 
them  take  the  hachets  out  of  his  garrfient,  not 


J 


W 


f 


to 


JOHN     LEDYARD 


137 


%i 


I 


touching  them  himself.  By  this  ti'.:.e  a  con- 
siderable concourse  of  the  natives  had  assem- 
bled under  the  walls  of  the  Morai,  where  we 
were  throwing  the  wood  down,  and  were  very 
outrageous,  and  even  threw  the  wood  and  im- 
ages* back  as  we  threv.'-  them  down  ;  and  I 
cannot  think  what  prevented  them  from  pro- 
ceeding to  greater  lengths.  However,  it  so 
happened  that  we  got  the  whole  into  the  boats, 
and  safely  on  board." 

This  story  is  told  differently  by  Captani 
King,  who  wrote  that  part  of  Cook's  Third 
Voyage,  which  relates  to  the  Sandwich  Islands. 
As  he  represents  it,  no  objection  was  made  to 
the  proposal  for  taking  away  the  enclosure  of 
vvood,  that  surrounded  the  !^Jjrai,  and  even  the 
images  were  tumbled  down  and  carried  off, 
under  the  eyes  of  the  p  iests,  without  any  re- 
sistance or  disapprobation  on  their  part.  This 
would  seem  improbable.  The  Morai  was  the 
depo.-.itory  of  the  dead,  a  place  where  the  im- 
ages of  the  gods  were  kept  and  solemn  cere- 
monies performed.  It  is  not  easy  to  reconcile 
the  two  accounts,,  but  Ledyard  was  employed 
with  others  in  removing  the  fence,  and  he 
manifestly  describes  what  he  saw.  He  may 
not  have  been  so  weil  acquainted  with  the 
manner  and  conditions  of  the  purchase  as  Cap- 
tain King,  yet  in  the  detail  of  occurrences   iu 


I: 


tell 

V  ; 
Iff 


mi 


U'^'. 


of" 


IT*'' 


Plf 


m 


4!: 


'in.:  II    il,i 


m ' 


":.iili|  % 


!;i||i* 


■Si!!. 


I'til ' 
ji'iiiB;:;' 


■^1    It: 


i 

r.S»5 


138 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


which  he  was  engaged,  and  their  effects  on 
the  people  around  him,  it  is  hardly  possible 
that  he  should  have  been  mistaken.  Again, 
he  writes, 

"  On  the  evening  of  the  5th  we  struck  our 
tents,  and  everything  was  taken  on  board,  and 
it  was  manifestly  much  to  the  satisfaction  of 
the  natives.  A  little  after  dark,  an  old  house, 
that  stood  on  a  corner  of  the  Morai,  took  fire 
and  burnt  down ;  this  we  supposed  was  occa- 
sioned by  our  people's  carelessly  leaving  their 
fire  near  it ;  but  this  was  not  the  case.  The 
natives  burnt  it  themselves,  to  show  us  the 
resentment  they  entertained  towards  us,  on  ac- 
count of  our  using  it  without  their  consent, 
and  indeed  manifestly  against  it.  We  had 
made  a  sail-loft  of  one  part  of  it,  and  a  hos- 
pital for  our  sick  of  the  other,  though  it  evi- 
dently was  esteemed  by  the  natives  as  holy  as 
the  rest  of  the  Morai,  and  ought  to  have  been 
considered  so  by  us." 

They  had  now  been  nineteen  days  in  Keara- 
kekua  Bay ;  the  ships  had  been  repaired,  the 
seamen  recruited  after  their  long  toils,  provis- 
ions for  several  months  laid  in,  and  nothing 
more  was  wanting,  to  enable  them  to  go  again 
to  sea,  but  a  supply  o^  water.  This  was  not 
to  be  had  at  Kearakekua,  except  of  a  brackish 
quality,  and  it  was    resolved    to   search  for  it 


' 


cts  on 
)ossible 
Again, 

ick  our 

I'd,  and 

tion  of 

house, 

5ok  fire 

IS  occa- 

g   their 

.     The 

us   the 

on  ac- 

consent, 

Ve    had 

I  a  hos- 

i  it  evi- 

holy  as 

ve  been 

Keara- 
red,  the 

provis- 
nothing 
;o  again 
vas  not 
•rackish 
I  for  it 


JOHN     LEDYARD, 


139 


n 


on  some  of  the  other  islands.  For  this  object 
the  vessels  were  unmoored,  and  sailed  out  of 
the  harbor.  No  sooner  had  they  got  to  sea, 
than  a  violent  gale  came  on,  which  lasted  three 
days,  and  injured  so  seriously  the  Resolution's 
foremast,  that  Cook  was  compelled  to  return 
speedily  to  his  old  anchorage  ground  and  make 
repairs.  Our  voyager  is  so  circumstantial  in 
his  account  from  this  point,  till  the  tragical 
death  of  Captain  Cook  that  I  shall  not  mar 
his  narrative  by  curtailing  it.  The  only  thing 
necessary  to  be  premised  is,  that  he  was  one 
of  the  small  party,  who  landed  with  the  un- 
fortunate navigator  on  the  morning  of  his 
death,  and  was  near  him  during  the  fatal  con- 
test, although  this  does  not  appear  from  his 
own  statement. 

"  Our  return  to  this  bay  was  as  disa^  eeable 
to  us,  as  it  was  to  the  inhabitants,  for  we 
were  reciprocally  tired  of  each  other.  They 
had  been  oppressed,  and  were  weary  of  our 
prostituted  alliance,  and'  we  were  aggrieved  by 
the  consideration  of  wanting  the  provisions 
and  refreshments  of  the  country,  which  we 
had  every  reason  to  suppose,  from  their  be- 
havior antecedent  to  our  departure,  would  now 
be  withheld  from  us,  or  brought  in  such  small 
quantities  as  to  be  worse  than  none.  What 
we  anticipated  was   true.      When    we   entered 


il 


i4 


m 


ill''" 


<^ili 


m 


i-Si 


LSI    •:*! 
p^'jl'    ■|p 

ill  lis 


T 


140 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


the  bay,  where  before  we  had  the  shouts  of 
thousands  to  welcome  our  arrival,  we  had  the 
mortification  not  to  S'  ;  a  single  canoe,  nnd 
hardly  any  inhabitants  in  the  towns.  Cook 
was  chagrined,  and  his  people  were  soured. 

"  Towards  night,  however,  the  canoes  came 
in,  but  the  provisions,  both  in  quantity  and 
qualuy,  plainly  informed  us  that  times  were 
altered ;  and  what  was  very  remarkable  was, 
the  exorbitant  price  they  asked,  and  the  par- 
ticular fancy  they  all  at  once  took  to  iron  dag- 
gers or  dirks,  which  were  the  only  articles 
that  were  any  ways  current,  with  the  chiefs 
at  least.  It  was  also  equally  evident  from  the 
looks  of  the  natives,  as  well  as  every  other 
appearance,  that  our  former  friendship  was  at 
an  end,  and  that  we  had  nothing  to  do  but  to 
hasten  our  departure  to  some  different  island, 
where  our  vices  were  not  known,  and  where 
oiu'  extrinsic  virtues  might  gain  us  another 
short  space  of  being  wondered  at,  and  doing 
as  we  pleased,  or,  as  oiir  tars  expressed  it,  of 
being  happy  by  the  month. 

"  Nor  was  their  passive  app*  arance  of  dis- 
gust all  we  had  to  fear,  nor  did  it  continue 
long.  Before  dark  a  canoe  with  a  number  of 
armed  chiefs  came  alongside  of  us  without 
provisions,  and  indeed  without  any  perceptible 
design.     After  staying  a  short  time   only,  they 


JOHN     L  E  D  Y  A  K  n  . 


141 


went  to  the  Discovery,  where  a  part  of  them 
went  on  board.  Here  they  affected  great 
friendship,  and  unfortunately  overacting  it, 
Gierke  was  suspicious,  and  ordered  two  senti- 
nels on  the  gangways.  These  men  were  pur- 
posely sent  by  the  chief,  who  .  had  formerly 
been  so  very  intimate  with  Gierke,  and  after- 
wards so  ill  treated  by  him,  with  the  charge 
of  stealing  his  jolly-boat.  They  came  with  a 
determination  of  mischief,  and  effected  it. 

"  After  they  were  all  returned  to  the  canoe 
but  one,  they  got  their  paddles  and  everything 
ready  for  a  start.  Those  in  the  canoes,  ob- 
serving the  sentry  to  be  watchful,  took  off  his 
attention  by  some  conversation,  that  they  knew 
would  be  pleasing  to  him,  and  by  this  means 
favored  the  designs  of  the  man  on  board,  who, 
watching  his  opportunity,  snatched  two  pairs  of 
tongs,  and  other  iron  tools  that  then  lay  close 
by  the  armorers  at  work  at  the  forge,  and 
mounting  the  gangway-rail,  with  one  leap 
threw  himself  and  his  goods  into  the  canoe, 
that  was  then  upon  the  move,  and,  taking  up 
his  paddle,  joined  the  others ;  and  standing  di- 
rectly for  the  shore,  they,  were  out  of  our  reach 
almost  instantaneously,  even  before  a  musket 
could  be  had  from  the  arms-cher-t  t.'>  fire  at 
them.     The  sentries  had  only  hangers. 

"  This  was  the  boldest  exploit  that  had  yet 


;:l)0^ 


a.; 


ill 


Fife 


It 


If?!! 


il! 


».  i: ;:,!;!, 


■il 


m 


*:fi;  i]l 


Mill''; 


I'lilli 


I  i 


'I't; 


I! 


lilfp 

riii':  ■:■ 

4-  111        .'','■ 

km 


»f !!  '51-  il! 


^I'j'll 

n 


SI 


,H; 


I !!      ■ 


142 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


been  attempted,  and  had  a  bad  aspect.  Gierke 
immediately  sent  to  the  Commodore,  who  ad- 
vised him  to  send  a  boat  on  shore  to  endeavor 
at  least  to  regain  the  goods,  if  they  could  not 
the  men  who  took  them ;  but  the  errand  was 
as  ill  executed  as  contrived,  and  the  master  of 
the  Discovery  was  glad  to  return  with  a  severe 
drubbing  from  the  very  chief,  who  had  been 
so  maltreated  by  Gierke.  The  crew  were  also 
pelted  with  stones,  and  had  all  their  oars 
broken,  and  they  had  not  a  single  weapon  in 
the  boat,  not  even  a  cutlass,  to  defend  them- 
selves. When  Gook  heard  of  this,  he  went 
armed  himself  in  person  to  the  guard  on  shore, 
took  a  file  of  marines,  and  went  through  the 
whole  town  demanding  restitution,  and  threat- 
ening the  delinquents  and  their  abettors  with 
the  severest  punishments ;  but  not  being  able 
to  effect  anything,  he  came  off  just  at  sunset, 
highly  displeased,  and  not  a  little  concerned  at 
the  bad  appearance  of  things.  But  even  this 
was  nothing  to  what  followed. 

"  On  the  13th,  at  night,  the  Dtscoven/s  large 
cutter,  which  was  at  her  usual  moorings  at  the 
bower  buoy,  was  taken  away.  On  the  14th, 
the  captains  met  to  consult  what  should  be 
done  on  this  alarming  occasion  ;  and  the  issue 
of  their  opinions  was,  that  one  of  the  two  cap- 
tains should  land  with  armed  boats  and  a  guard 


? 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


143 


Gierke 
;rho  ad- 
ndeavor 
uld  not 
Liid  was 
aster  of 
a  severe 
id    been 
ere  also 
eir    oars 
apon  m 
d  til  cm- 
tie  went 
►n  shore, 
Ligh    the 
1  threat- 
Drs  with 
ing   able 
t  sunset, 
erned  at 
ven  this 

'•y's  large 
^s  at  the 
he  14th, 
lould  be 
the  issue 
two  cap- 
a  guard 


of  marines  at  Kiverua,  and  attempt  to  persuade 
Teraiobu,  who  was  then  at  his  house  in  that 
town,  to  come  on  board  upon  a  visit,  and  that, 
when  he  was  on  board,  he  should  be  kept 
prisoner,  until  his  subjects  should  release  him 
by  a  restitudon  of  the  cutter ;  and  if  it  was 
afterwards  thought  proper,  he,  or  some  of  the 
family  who  might  accompany  him,  should  be 
kept  as  perpetual  hostages  for  the  good  be- 
havior of  the  people,  during  the  remaining  part 
of  our  continuance  at  Kearakekua. 

"This  plan  was  the  more  approved  of  by 
Cook,  as  he  had  so  repeatedly,  on  former  occa- 
sions to  the  southward,  employed  it  with  suc- 
cess. Gierke  was  then  in  a  deep  decline  of 
his  health,  and  too  feeble  to  undertake  the 
affair,  though  it  naturally  devolved  upon  him, 
as  a  point  of  duty  not  well  transferable ;  he 
therefore  begged  Gook  to  oblige  him  so  much, 
as  to  take  that  part  of  the  business  of  the 
day  upon  himself,  in  his  stead.  This  Gook 
agreed  to,  but,  previous  to  his  landing,  made 
some  additional  arrangements,  respecting  the 
possible  event  of  things,  though  it  is  certain, 
from  the  appearance  of  the  subsequent  ar- 
rangements, that  he  guarded  more  against  the 
flight  of  Teraiobu,  or  those  he  could  wish  to 
see,  than  from  an  attack,  or  even  much  insult. 

"The  disposition  of   our   guards,   when   the 


* 


I 


;"'''ll|it 


if     %P§ 
m^      -'li     ■:;;'!. 


1% 


n  i;;.;i' 


ii  ill!'"! 
;fV|  .'HI 

111  .■■■'^2 


I 


' : i 


r\'r 


.  I 


I         fjlllil' 

i  'km. 

i^l  If  III . 

sit; I;  I.:  i 
■'^    f   '   ■ 

,  4  r'" 


::':!! 


144 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


movements  began,  was  thus.  Cook,  in  his  pin- 
nace, with  six  private  marines,  a  corporal,  ser- 
geant, and  two  lieutenants  of  marines,  went 
ahead,  followed  by  the  launch  with  other  ma- 
rines and  seamen  on  one  quarter,  and  the 
small  cutter  on  the  other,  with  only  the  crew 
on  board.  This  part  of  the  guard  rowed  for 
Kearakekua.  Our  large  cutter  and  two  boats 
from  the  Discovery  had  orders  to  proceed  to 
the  mouth  of  the  bay,  form  at  equal  distances 
across,  and  prevent  any  communication  by  wa- 
ter from  any  other  part  of  the  island  to  the 
towns  within  the 'bay,  or  from  those  without. 
Cook  landed  at  Kiverua  about  nine  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  with  the  marines  in  the  pinnace, 
and  went  by  a  circuitous  march  to  the  house 
of  Teraiobu,  in  order  to  evade  the  suspicion 
of  any  design.  This  route  led  through  a  con- 
siderable part  of  the  town,  which  discovered 
every  symptom  of  mischief,  though  Cook, 
blinded  by  some  fatal  cause,  could  not  per- 
ceive it,  or,  too  self-confident,  would  not  re- 
gard it. 

"  The  town  was  evacuated  by  the  women 
and  children,  who  had  retired  to  the  circum- 
jacent hills,  and  appeared  almost  destitute  of 
men  ;  but  there  were  at  that  time  two  hun- 
dred chiefs,  and  more  than  twice  that  number 
of  other  men,  detached  and  secreted  in  differ- 


JOHN     LED YARD. 


145 


his  pin- 
oral,  ser- 
es, went 
ther  ma- 
and   the 
the  crew 
:)wed  for 
wo  boats 
oceed   to 
distances 
1  by  wa- 
d   to    the 

without. 
)'clock  in 

pinnace, 
he  house 
suspicion 
^h  a  con- 
iiscovered 
^h    Cook, 

not   per- 
i    not   re- 

le  women 
e  circum- 
stitute  of 
two  hun- 
at  number 
in  difFer- 


•  ', 


I 


ent  parts  of  the  houses  nearest  to  TeraioDu 
exckisive  of  unknown  numbers  without  tne 
skirts  of  the  town  ;  and  those  that  were  seen 
were  dressed,  many  of  them,  in  black.  When 
the  guard  reached  Teraiobu's  house.  Cook  or- 
dered the  lieutenant  of*  marines  to  go  in  and 
see  if  he  was  at  home,  and  if  he  was,  to  bring 
him  out.  The  lieutenant  went  in,  and  found 
the  old  man  sitting  with  two  or  three  old 
women  of  distinction ;  and,  when  he  gave  Te- 
raiobu  to  understand  that  Cook  was  without, 
and  wanted  to  see  him,  he  discovered  the 
greatest  marks  of  uneasiness,  but  arose  and  ac- 
companied the  lieutenant  out,  holding  his  hand. 
When  he  came  before  Cook,  he  squatted  down 
upon  his  hams  as  a  mark  of  humiliation,  and 
Cook  took  him  by  the  hand  from  the  lieuten- 
ant, and  conversed  with  him. 

"  The  appearance  of  our  parade  both  by 
water  and  on  shore,  though  conducted  with 
the  utmost  silence,  and  with  as  little  ostenta- 
tion as  possible,  had  alarmed  the  towns  on 
both  sides  of  the  bay,  but  particularly  Kive- 
rua,  where  the  people  were  in  complete  order 
for  an  onset ;  otherwise  it  would  have  been  a 
matter  of  surprise,  that  though  Cook  did  not 
see  twenty  men  in  passing  through  the  town, 
yet,  before  he  had  conversed  ten  minutes 
with  Teraiobu,  he  was  surrounded  by  three  or 


VOL.    XIV. 


10 


\''Mk.^'}i 


#1  ''Mir  I 

I"  hit  I""' n  I 

irti  .11,  ;■ 

I  III  li\\ 

■yh 


il^i'i 


\mt\  «l  - 


ill  I 


Jfcii 


'If'i'  .'H  ■    ,   ■'. 

^«     if  i  !!!■  ll 


146 


AMERICAN     B  I  O  O  R  A  P  H  k' . 


four  hundred  people,  and  above  half  of  them 
chiefs. 

"  Cook  grew  uneasy  when  he  observed  this, 
and  was  the  more  urgent  in  his  persuasions 
with  Teraiobu  to  go  on  board,  and  actually 
persuaded  the  old  man  to  go  at  length,  and 
led  him  within  a  rod  or  two  of  the  shore ; 
but  the  just  fears  and  conjectures  of  the  chiefs 
at  last  interposed.  They  held  the  old  man 
back,  and  one  of  the  chiefs  threatened  Cook, 
when  he  atterApted  to  make  them  quit  Terai- 
obu. Some  of  the  crowd  now  cried  out,  that 
Cook  was  going  to  take  their  king  from  them 
and  kill  him,  and  there  was  one  in  particular 
that  advanced  towards  Cook  in  an  attitude 
that  alarmed  one  of  the  guard,  who  presented 
his  bayonet  and  opposed  him,  acquainting  Cook 
in  the  mean  time  of  the  danger  of  his  situa- 
tion, and  that  the  Indians  in  a  few  minutes 
would  attack  him ;  that  he  had  overheard  the 
man,  whom  he  had  just  stopped  from  rushing 
in  upon  him,  say  that  our  boats  which  were 
out  in  the  harbor  had  just  killed  his  brother, 
and  he  would  be  revenged. 

"  Cook  attended  to  what  this  man  said,  and 
desired  him  to  show  him  the  Indian,  that  had 
dared  to  attempt  a  combat  with  him,  and  as 
soon  as  he  was  pointed  out.  Cook  fired  at  him 
with  a  blank.      The  Indian,  perceiving  he  re- 


JOHN  LEDYARO. 


147 


them 

1  this, 
lasions 
;tually 
ti,   and 
shore  ; 
chiefs 
d   man 
Cook, 
Terai- 
it,  that 
[11  them 
irticiilar 
attitude 
:eseiited 
s  Cook 
s  situa- 
mimites 
ard  the 
rushing 
ch  were 
brother, 

said,  and 
that  had 
and  as 
i  at  him 
g  he  re- 


I 


ceived  no  damage  from  the  fire,  rushed  from 
without  the  crowd  a  second  time,  and  threat- 
ened any  one  that  should  oppose  him.  Cook> 
perceiving  this,  fired  a  ball,  which  entering  the 
Indian's  groin,  he  fell  and  was  drawn  off"  by 
the  rest. 

"  Cook,  perceiving  the  people  determined  to 
oppose  his  designs,  and  that  he  should  not 
succeed  without  further  bloodshed,  ordered  the 
lieutenant  of  marines,  Mr.  Phillips,  to  withdraw 
his, men  and  get  them  into  the  boats,  which 
were  then  lying  ready  to  receive  them.  This 
was  effected  by  the  sergeant ;  but  the  instani 
they  began  to  retreat.  Cook  was  hit  with  a 
stone,  and.  perceiving  the  man  who  threw  it, 
shot  him  dead.  The  officer  in  the  boats,  ob- 
serving the  guard  retreat,  and  hearing  this  third 
discharge,  ordered  the  boats  to  fire.  This  oc- 
casioned the  guard  to  face  about  and  fire,  and 
then  the  attack  became  general." 

"  Cook  and  Mr.  Phillips  were  together  a  few 
paces  in  the  rear  of  the  guard,  and,  perceiving 
a  general  fire  without  orders,  quitted  Teraiobu, 
and  ran  to  the  shore  to  put  a  stop  to  it  ;  but 
not  being  able  to  make  themselves  heard,  and 
being  close  pressed  upon  by  the  chiefs,  they 
joined  the  guard,  who  fired  as  they  retreated. 
Cook,  having  at  length  reached  the  margin  of 
the  water,  between  the  fire  of  the  boats,  waved 


m 


w: 

K'-,,-''-' 


§ 


,t'''  "'l\ 


•ilh 


A 


Hit' 


h 


!!:jp!|ij 


ill: 


m 


148 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY, 


with  his  hat  for  them  to  cease  firing  and 
come  in  ;  and  while  he  was  doing  this,  a  chief 
from  behind  stabbed  him  with  one  of  our  iron 
daggers,  just  under  the  shoulder-blade,  and  it 
passed  quite  through  his  body.  Cook  fell  with 
his  face  in  the  water,  and  immediately  expired. 
Mr.  Phillips,  not  being  able  any  longer  to  use 
his  fusee,  drew  his  sword,  and  engaging  the 
chief  whom  he  saw  kill  Cook,  soon  despatched 
him.  His  guard,  in  the  mean  time,  were  all 
killed  but  two,  and  they  had  plunged  into  the 
water,  and  were  swimming  to  the  boats.  He 
stood  thus  for  some  time  the  butt  of  all  their 
force ;  and  being  as  complete  in  the  use  of  his 
sword  as  he  was  accomplished,  •  his  noble 
achievements  struck  the  barbarians  with  awe  ; 
but  being  wounded,  and  growing  faint  from 
loss  of  blood  and  excessive  action,  he  plunged 
into  the  sea  with  his  sword  in  his  hand  and 
swam  to  the  boats;  where,  however,  he  was 
scarcely  taken  on  board,  before  somebody  saw 
one  of  the  marines,  that  had  swum  from  the 
shore,  lying  flat  upon  the  bottom.  Phillips, 
hearing  this,  ran  aft,  threw  himself  in  after 
him,  and  brought  him  up  with  him  to  the 
surface  of  the  water,  and  both  were  taken  in. 
"  The  boats  had  hitherto  kept  up  a  very 
hot  fire,  and,  lying  off  without  the  reach  of 
any  weapon  but  stones,  had  received  no  dam- 


ig  and 
a  chief 
)ur  iron 

and  it 
ell  with 
expired. 
•  to  use 
ing    tlie 
spatched 
tvere    all 
into  the 
ts.      He 

all  their 
se  of  his 
is    noble 

th  awe  ; 
int   from 

plunged 
land  and 
he  was 
)ody  saw 

from  the 

Phillii)s, 

in    after 

m    to    tlie 

taken  in. 
ip  a  very- 
reach    of 
no  dam- 


JOHN     LEDYA UD. 


149 


i 


age,  and,  being  fully  at  leisure  to  k^.ep  up  an 
unremitted  and  uniform  action,  made  great 
havoc  among  the  Indians,  particularly  among 
the  chiefs,  who  stood  foremost  in  the  crowd 
and  were  most  exposed  ;  but  whether  it  was 
from  their  bravery,  or  ignorance  of  the  real 
cause  that  deprived  so  many  of  them  of  life, 
that  they  made  such  a  stand,  may  be  ques- 
tioned, since  it  is  certain  that  they  in  general, 
if  not  universally,  understood  heretofore  that 
it  was  the  fire  only  of  our  arms  that  destroyed 
them.  This  opinion  seems  to  be  strengthened 
by  the  circumstance  of  the  large,  thick  mats, 
they  were  observed  to  wear,  which  were  also 
con.tn'i'ly  kept  wet;  and,  furthermore,  the  In- 
dian that  Cook  fired  at  with  a  blank  discov- 
ered no  fear,  when  he  found  his  mat  unburnt, 
saying  in  their  language,  when  he  showed  it 
to  the  by-standers,  that  no  fire  had  touched 
it.  This  may  be  supposed  at  least  to  have 
had  some  influence.  It  is,  however,  certain, 
whether  from  one  or  both  these  causes,  that 
the  numbers  that  fell  made  no  apparent  im- 
pression on  those  who  survived ;  they  were 
immediately  taken  "olT,  and  had  their  places 
supplied  in  a  constant  succession. 

"  Lieutenant  Gore,  who  commanded  as  first 
lieutenant  under  Cook  in  the  Resolution,  which 
lay  opposite    the    place  where  this  attack   was 


'*'f  ;:    i.'- 


150 


AMERICAN     BIOURAPHY. 


i!ili'li,,l"-!'4i 


;:>?; 


■f  ^  If 
M!|::i 


M 


W  I' 


it' 


■>H, 


A 


made,  perceiving  with  his  glass  that  the  guard 
on  shore  was  cut  off,  and  that  Cook  had  fallen, 
immediately  passed  a  spring  upon  one  of  the 
cables,  and,  bringing  the  ship's  starboard  guns 
to  bear,  fired  two  round  shot  over  the  boats 
into  the  middle  of  the  crowd ;  and  both  the 
thunder  of  the  cannon  and  the  effects  of  the 
shot  operated  so  powerfully,  that  it  produced 
a  most  precipitate  retiaat  from  the  shore  to 
the  town." 

"  Our  mast  that  was  repairing  at  Kearake- 
kua,  and  our  astronomical  tents,  were  protected 
only  by  a  corporal  and  six  marines,  exclusive 
of  the  carpenters  at  work  upon  it,  and  de- 
manded immediate  protection.  As  soon,  there- 
fore, as  the  people  were  refresh'' d  with  some 
grog  and  reenforced,  they  were  ordered  thither. 
In  tho  mean  time,  the  marine  who  had  beer 
tak'jn  up  by  Mr.  Phillips  discovered  returning 
life,  and  seemed  in  a  way  to  recover,  and  we 
found  Mr.  Phillips's  wound  not  dangerous, 
though  very  bad.  We  also  observed  at  Kive- 
rua,  that  our  dead  were  drawn  off  by  the 
Indians,  which  was  a  mortifying  sight;  but 
after  the  boats  were  gone,  Ihey  did  it  in  spite 
c5  our  caiiuon,  which  were  firing  at  them  sev- 
eral mhiutes.  They  had  no  sooner  effected 
this  matter,  than  they  retired  to  the  hills  to 
avoid    our  shot,      The  expedition    to    Kivcrua 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


151 


guard 
fallen, 
of  the 
1  guns 
3  boats 
ith  the 
of  the 
oduced 
lore    to 

^earake- 
rotected 
tckisive 
md   de- 
I,  there- 
1   some 
thither, 
id  beer 
iturnmg 
and  we 
i^erous, 
t   Kive- 
by    the 
ht;   but 
in  spite 
em  sev- 
effected 
hills   to 
Kivcrua 


had  taken  up  about  an  hour  and  a  half,  and 
we  lost,  besides  Cook,  a  corporal  and  three 
marines. 

"  Notwithstanding  the  despatch  that  was 
used  in  sending  a  force  to  Kearakekua,  the 
small  party  there  were  already  attacked  before 
their  arrival ;  but  by  an  excellent  manoeuvre  of 
taking  possession  of  the  Morai,  they  defended 
themselves  without  any  material  damage,  until 
the  succors  came.  The  natives  did  not  at- 
tempt to  molest  the  boats  in  the  debarkation 
of  our  people,  which  we  much  wondered  at, 
and  they  soon  joined  the  others  upon  the  Mo- 
rai, amounting  in  the  whole  to  about  sixty. 
Mr.  Phillips,  notwithstanding  his  wound,  was 
present,  and,  hi  conjunction  with  Lieutenant 
King,  carried  the  chief  command.  The  plan 
was  to  act  only  defensively,  until  we  could 
get  onr  mast  into  the  water,  to  tow  off,  and 
our  tents  into  the  boats ;  and  as  soon  as  that 
was  effected,  to  return  on  board,  ^^his  we 
did  in  about  an  hour's  time,  but  not  without 
killing  a  number  of  the  natives,  who  resolutely 
attacked  us,  and  endeavored  to  mount  the  walls 
of  the  Morai,  where  they  were  lowest ;  but  be- 
ing opposed  with  our  skill  in  such  modes  of 
attack,  and  the  great  superiority  of  our  arms, 
they  were  ever  repulsed  with  loss,  and  at 
length  retieated  among  the  houses  adjacent   to 


I 


if 


II"  ill; 


:VM 


1., 


iir'li(|iii"..'ii' 


^m^'  ai.; 


i 

i 

ft'l 


I 


•S  lill 


i; 


mm 

i  Mi 


mini 


I'  '\i 


ft  '^ 


■Ur)ii> 


r,\ 


152 


AMERICAN     JIOGRAPHT. 


the  Moral,  which  affording  a  good  opportunity 
to  retreat  to  our  boats,  we  embraced  it,  and 
got  off  all  well.  Our  mast  was  taken  on  the 
booms,  and  repaired  there,  though  to  disad- 
vantage." 

This  account  is  the  more  valuable,  as  hav- 
ing been  drawn  up  by  one,  who  had  a  per- 
sonal knowledge  of  all  that  passed.  Neither 
Captain  King  nor  Captain  Burney,  each  of 
whom  has  described  the  transactions,  was  on 
shore  with  Cook.  Nor,  indeed,  as  hinted  above, 
can  it  be  inferred  with  certainty  from  any- 
thing Ledyard  says,  that  he  was  in  thai  part 
of  the  fray.  But  the  confidence  and  particu- 
larity with  which  he  speaks  would  seem  to 
indicate  actual  observation.  We  have  Captain 
Burney's  testimony,  moreover,  which  may  be 
deemed  conclusive.  He  says,  that  "  Cook  land- 
ed with  Lieutenant  Molesworth  Phillips  of  the 
marines,  Sergeant  Gibson,  Corporals  Thomas 
and  Ledyard,  and  six  private  marines,  being  in 
the  whole  eleven  persons."*  It  follows,  that 
Ledyard  must  have  been  near  COok  from  the 
time  he  left  the  ship  till  he  was  killed,  and 
that  he  heard  and  saw  distinctly  all  that  'hap- 
pened. Four  marines  were  killed,  three  wound- 
ed, and  three  escaped  unhurt,  of  which  last 
number  he  was  one. 

*  Chronological  History  of  Northeastern  Voyages  of  Dis- 
covery, p.  260. 


T 


^ 


JOHN  LLDYAKD. 


153 


rtimity 

it,  and 

on  the 

disad- 

as  hav- 
.  a  per- 
Neither 
ach    of 
was   on 
1  above, 
m  any- 
lai    part 
particu- 
seem   to 
Captain 
may  be 
ok  land- 
is  of  the 
Thomas 
Deing   in 
ws,  that 
rom    the 
led,   and 
hat  *hap- 
wound- 
lich   last 


(res  of  Dis- 


After  this  melancholy  catastrophe,  the  ships 
remained  six  days  in  the  harbor,  till  the  de- 
fective mast  was  repaired,  and  a  supply  of 
water  obtained.  This  latter  was  effected  with 
difficulty,  however,  as  the  watering  parties  were 
repeatedly  assailed  by  the  natives,  and  skir- 
mishes ensued.  It  may  well  be  imagined, 
therefore,  that  the  hour  of  departure  was  hailed 
with  joy  by  all  on  board.  They  passed  ten 
days  more  among  the  islands,  and,  the  water 
on  board  oeing  bad,  a  fresh  supply  was  pro- 
cured at  the  Island  of  Atui.  The  season  be- 
ing now  advanced,  and  everything  in  readiness, 
they  launched  out  again  into  the  great  ocean, 
pursuing  a  northerly  course,  with  the  design 
of  making  a  second  attempt  to  explore  the 
polar  regions,  in  search  of  a  northwest  passage. 

In  six  weeks  they  approached  the  shore  of 
Kamtschatka,  and  anchored  in  the  harbor  of 
St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul.  The  result  of  the  ex- 
pedition is  well  known.  They  passed  through 
Bering's  Strait,  and  groped  among  islands  of 
ice  in  a  high  latitude,  but  with  no  better  suc- 
cess than  the  year  before.  They  toucher' 
again  at  Kamtschatka  on  their  return ;  and, 
proceeding  by  the  way  of  China  and  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope,  they  reached  England,  after  an 
absence  of  four  years  and  three  months. 

Many  facts   and    speculations   in  our  travel- 


!!;!:;; 


?;"'!i!!':: 

>l,i.'^: 

ii"!il:!''. 


'ill''- 
■•^illl;')!!::: 


.ms 


i!  «. 


Ell  Mill!    'ii 

ill    i  il  H 


154 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


ler's  journal,  not  a  little  curious  in  themselves, 
have  been  omitted  in  the  preceding  sketch, 
because  they  would  occupy  a  space  not  con- 
sistent with  the  nature  or  limits  of  the  pres- 
ent memoir.  I  am  tempted,  however,  to 
quote  his  interesting  remarks  on  the  mode 
in  which  the  South  Sea  Islands  were  proba- 
bly first  peopled.  The  subject  has  since 'been 
much  discussed  by  philosophers  and  geogra- 
phers, but  no  one  before  him  had  examined  it 
vith  views  so  much  enlarged  by  experience 
and  observation  ;  and  it  is  believed  he  was 
the  first  to  advance  the  opinion,  that  the  in- 
habitants of  those  islands,  scattered  as  they  are 
through  an  ocean  of  vast  exent,  "  were  derived 
from  one  common  origin."  Of  this  he  will 
not  allow  that  there  is  any  room  for  doubt, 
and  the  only  question  is,  whether  they  came 
from  Asia  or  America. 

Whichever  way  this  question  may  be  an- 
swered, there  will  remain  objections  not  easy 
to  be  removed,  if  we  attempt  to  find  out  a  re- 
semblance in  every  peculiarity  of  character  and 
manners,  or  to  explain  obvious  differences.  He 
does  not  pretend  to  solve  the  problem,  but 
only  to  throw  out  such  hints  illustrative  of 
the  subject  as  occurred  to  him,  and  as  tend  to 
establish  the  possibility  that  an  emigration 
from  either  of  the  continents  might  have  reached 


Ji 


h 


JOHN     LEDY^RD. 


155 


I  selves, 
sketch, 
t  con- 
3  pres- 
er,     to 

mode 

proba- 
;e  •  been 
geogra- 
lined  it 
Derience 
he   was 
the    iii- 
they  are 
derived 
he  will 
f  doubt, 
;y  came 

be  an- 
not  easy- 
oat  a  re- 
icter  and 
ces.  He 
lem,  but 
•ative  of 
s  tend  to 
migration 
6  reached 


to  all  ttie  islands,  without  any  other  means  of 
transportation,  than  such  as  the  people  them- 
selves possessed. 

''  The  New  Zealanders  say  their  ancestors 
came  from  an  island  called  Hawyjee ;  now. 
Owyhee,  as  we  carelessly  pronounce  it,  is  pro- 
nounced by  its  inhabitants  Hawyhee,  This  is 
a  curious  circumstance,  and  admits  of  a  pre- 
sumption, that  the  Island  of  Owyhee,  or  Hawy- 
hee, is  the  island  from  which  the  New  Zea- 
landers originally  emigrated.  It  supersedes  an- 
alogical evidence.  But  Owyhee  is  in  twenty 
north,  and  New  Zealand  is  in  forty  south,  and 
not  above  three  hundred  leagues  distant  from 
the  southern  parts  of  New  Holland,  and  is 
besides  situated  in  the  latitudes  of  variable 
winds,  which  admit  of  emigrations  from  any 
quarter. 

"  On  the  other  hand,  the  languages  of  Owy- 
hee and  New  Zealand  were  originally  the 
same,  and  as  much  alike  as  that  of  Otaheite 
and  New  Zealand  ;  not  to  mention  other  cir- 
cumstances of  the  like  kind.  Whereas  the 
languages  at  New  Zealand  and  New  Holland 
have  very  little  or  no  resemblance  to  each 
other.  This  difference,  with  many  others,  be- 
tween New  Zealand  and  New  Holland,  cannot 
be  reconciled ;  but  the  difficulties  that  may 
arise   from    considering    the    distance    between 


m 

It 


V-:'!!W'li:',,; 


■  ;,:  liljli"; 

If     (I  I-   .; 


kM 


;i  "i! 


tm\ 


:m 


ts 


fel 


iilUlii':;! 


:M  li!i 


''■'li 


Its  !i,':;.;;iiC!!> 


i!l; 


itir;!!j|;:;i 


I 

i 


»,■(/•      US' 


'^^  m 


^  l( 


i:''!! 


M 


1   ; 


:M 


:!f.i;] 


i|fj; 


ill! 
'4 ,  \ 


asi      ^'    ft':  r .: 
'i 

if: 


156 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


New  Zealand  and  Owyhee  may  be,  as  there 
are  clusters  of  islands  that  we  know  of,  and 
there  may  be  others  unknown,  that  occupy,  at 
no  great  distance  from  each  other,  the  inter 
medip'  ocean  from  Owyhee  to  New  Zealand. 
The  ».  ivious  reasonings,  that  would  be  used 
to  conclude  the  New  Zealanders  emigrants 
from  Owyhee,  would  be,  first,  to  suppose  them 
from  the  Friendly  Isles, .then  the  Society  Isles, 
and  then  the  Sandwich  Isles  ;  and  the  grada« 
tion  thus  formed  is  very  rational  and  argu- 
mentative, because  all  their  manners  and  cus- 
toms havf'  the  same  cast. 

"  Suppose,  then,  that  the  islands  we  have 
mentioned  were  peopled  from  Owyhee,  and 
suppose  it  to  be  the  first  island  settled,  the 
second  and  ultimate  question  is.  From  which 
of  the  continents,  America  or  Asia  ?  Its  situa- 
tion respecting  America,  and  the  trade  winds, 
strongly  intimate  from  that  continent,  for  it  is 
twice  the  distance  from  Asia  that  it  is  from 
America;  and  a  ship,  fitted  for  the  purpose  at 
China,  which  is  in  a  parallel  latitude,  would 
be  more  than  two  months  in  reaching  it,  and 
we  must  suppose  the  emigrations  that  respect 
these  people  to  have  been  merely  fortuitous ; 
but  a  canoe,  driven  by  stress  of  weather  from 
the  southern  part  of  California,  or  the  coast  of 
New  Galicia,  the  opposite  parallel,  would  reach 


there 
f,  and 
ipy,  at 

inter 
ealand. 
used 
ligrants 
e  them 
y  Isles, 

grada- 

argu- 

id   cus- 

te  liave 
ee,  and 
led,  the 
1  which 
ts  situa- 
i  winds, 
for  it  is 

is  from 
u'pose  at 
3,  would 
;  it,  and 
L  respect 
rtuitous  ; 
her  from 

coast  of 
lid  reach 


JOHN  LEDYARD, 


157 


Owyhee  in  a  direct  course  in  half  the  time, 
or  less.  The  distance  is  about  nine  hundred 
leagues ;  and  we  saw  people  at  the  Island  Wat- 
teeoo,  who  had  been  driven  from  Otaheite 
there,  which  is  five  hundred  leagues. 

"  But  if  we  suppose  Owyhee  peopled  from 
South  America,  we  shall  be  somewhat  disap- 
pointed in  supporting  the  conjecture  by  argu- 
ments, that  respect  their  manners  and  customs, 
and  those  of  the  Californians,  Mexicans,  Peru- 
vians, or  Chilians.  There  is  but  a  faint  anal- 
ogy, compared  with  that  which  we  should 
find  on  the  southeastern  coasts  of  Asia  in 
these  respects.  Let  us,  then,  without  attending 
to  the  few  analogical  customs,  that  subsist  be- 
tween the  Owyheeans  and  the  South  Ameri- 
cans, reverse  our  system  of  emigration.  Sup- 
pose the  inhabitants  of  the  Sandwich  Islands 
to  have  come  from  the  Society  Islands,  and 
those  from  the  Friendly  Isles,  and  the  New 
Zealanders  from  them  ;  the  inhabitants  of  the 
Friendly  Isles  from  New  Caledonia,  from  the 
New  Hebrides,  New  Guinea,  Celebes,  Borneo, 
Java,  or  Sumatra,  and  finally  from  the  conti- 
nent at  Malacca. 

"Supposing  the  emigration  we  are  now 
speaking  of  to  have  taken  this  course,  the 
most  apparent  argument  in  its  favor  is^  the 
proximity  of  the  several  islands  to  eac>i  other, 


158 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


■"X 


!'iii;i 


;ii:|:i'J||;il'ili:i 


■m 


i 


<js:  m\ 


■■*i,l 


111; 


i; 


''il-i 


^1 


'I -IS -III! 


ill 


1/ . 


I''      I 


from  the  Friendly  Isles  to  the  continent ;  but 
its  sufficiency  will  abate,  if  we  consider  emi- 
grations, as  I  think  they  are,  oftener  the  effects 
of  accident  than  previous  intention  ;  especially 
when  out  of  sight  of  land.  Besides,  it  is 
evident  from  ocular  proof,  that,  though  New 
Guinea  and  New  Holland  are  very  near  to 
each  other,  there  has  never  been  any  inter- 
course between  them  ;  and  yet,  from  many  ap- 
pearances, there  seems  to  have  been  one  be- 
tween New  Guinea,  the  New  Hebrides,  and 
the  Friendly  Isles,  although  farther  distant  from 
each  other.  There  is,  indeed,  no  remarkable 
similarity  in  the  people,  customs,  and  manners 
of  New  Guinea  and  the  Friendly  Isles,  but  an 
exact  conformity  between  the  domestic  animals 
and  vegetable  productions  of  both  countries. 

"  Some  fruits,  that  we  call  tropical,  are  pe- 
culiar to  all  places  within  the  tropics ;  but 
bread-fruit  is  nowhere  known,  but  among  these 
islands  and  the  islands  further  northward  on 
the  coast  of  Asia.  It  is  not  known  at  New 
Holland,  but  it  is.  at  New  Guinea.  Therefore, 
wherever  I  can  find  this  bread-fruit  in  partic- 
ular, I  shall  suppose  an  intercourse  to  have 
once  subsisted,  and  the  more  so,  when  I  find 
a  correspondent  agreement  between  the  ani- 
mals of  different  places  ;  and  it  ought  to  be 
remembered,  also,  that   there  are  no  other  ani- 


■■ 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


159 


It ;  but 
•   e  mi- 
effects 
pecially 
it    is 
h   New 
near   to 
iiiter- 
lany  ap- 
one   be- 
les,  and 
mt  from 
narkable 
manners 
3,  but  an 
;  animals 
ntries. 
,   are  pe- 
des ;   but 
ng  these 
ward    on 
at   New 
'herefore, 
n  partic- 
to    have 
jn  I  find 
the   ani- 
tit   to   be 
ther  ani- 


mals throughout  those  islands,  unless  they  are 
near  the  continent ;  those  remote  islands  have 
no  other.  It  is  the  same  with  their  vegeta- 
bles. The  remote  islands  have  no  water-mel- 
ons, guavas,  and  such  other  fruits. 

*=  These  observations  will  essentially  apply 
to  the  circumstances  of  emigration.  A  canoe, 
in  passing  along  its  own  coast,  or  visiting  a 
neighboring  island,  would  take  on  board  a  hog, 
a  dog,  a  fowl,  and  bread-fruit  for  subsistence, 
in  preference  to  a  monkey,  a  snake,  or  a 
guava ;  and  if  the  canoe  is  driven  accidentally 
on  some  foreign  island,  they  turn  to  greater 
advantage." 

Since  these  remarks  were  written,  there  have 
been  many  opportunities  for  further  discovery, 
but  very  little  has  been  added  to  the  stock 
of  knowledge  on  the  subject.  The  mission- 
aries, during  a  residence  of  thirty  years  in  the 
Society  Islands,  have  found  nothing  among  the 
traditions  or  customs  of  the  people,  from  which 
their  origin  can  be  deduced.  It  was  supposed 
for  a  time,  that  the  languages  of  the  islanders 
in  the  Pacific  Ocean  would  afford  a  clew,  that 
might  lead  to  a  solution  of  the  difficulty ;  but 
hitherto  all  inquiries  in  this  quarter  have  failed, 
and  contributed  rather  to  confirm  than  dimin- 
ish the  uncertainty,  which  existed  at  first.  It 
is  proved,  that    in  all    the  islands  constituting 


i'iW 


0M 

4-  •;:' 


It' 


iiii  -ill 


160 


.V31ER1CAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


•  'fcl  W-' 


pit!     !:fr'!^i'1i 
■■  k?"     ■■■•   ii:  '     'I 


1« 


W' 


1^ 


I 


?;:i 


«i 


1,1 


^-li?; 


I'ih  ..'i,;B 


1 

I 


K 
sir. 


that  portion  of  the  globe,  denominated  in  re- 
cent geography  Polijncsia,  a  niuhitndo  of  dia- 
lects prevail,  which  have  so  near  an  allinity  to 
each  other,  as  to  make  it  demonstratively  cer- 
tain, that  they  all  sprang  from  the  same  stock. 

It  is  moreover  remarkable,  that  none  of  these 
dialects,  which  has  as  yet  been  examined, 
bears  any  analogy  to  other  known  languages, 
except  those  in  use  among  the  natives  of  these 
islands.  It  is  true,  that  in  the  Friendly  Islands, 
New  Zealand,  and  some  others  bordering  on 
/he  Asiatic  Islands,  a  kw  Malay.. a  words  are 
intermixed  with  the  Polynesian,  but  so  sparing- 
ly as  to  make  a  very  small  part  only  of  the 
whole,  and  with  characteristics  plainly  indicat- 
ing their  foreign  origin.  If  we  may  judge 
from  the  grammars  prepared  by  the  mission- 
aries, as  well  as  from  their  own  declarations, 
very  few  languages  are  more  widely  different 
in  their  principles,  structure,  and  vocabulary, 
than  the  Malayan  and  Polynesian.  No  argu- 
ment, therefore,  drawn  from  the  analogy  of 
languages,  any  more  than  from  striking  traits 
of  character  in  the  people,  can  be  urged  to 
prove  the  Polynesians  to  have  come  originally 
from  the  islands  on  the  south  of  Asia. 

The  same  may  be  said  in  regard  to  North- 
ern Asia  and  South  America.  No  resemblances 
in    language    have    been  discovered,   and    very 


^ 


in    re- 

of  dia- 

iiiity  to 

ly  cer- 

e  stock. 

5f  these 

amiiied, 

iguages, 

of  these 

Islands, 

ring    on 

ords  are 

sparing- 

of  the 

indicat- 

ly   judge 

mission- 

larations, 

different 

cabulary, 

\o   argu- 

ilogy    of 

ng    traits 

urged   to 

originally 

I. 

to  North- 
jmbiances 
and   very 


i 


JOHN     LEDYARD, 


161 


slight  ones  only  in  prevailinjr  customs ;  and 
these,  after  all,  may  be  accidental.  Malte-Brnn 
is  opposed  to  the  theory  of  an  emigration 
from  South  America,  on  the  ground,  that  the 
islands  nearest  the  coast  are  not  inhabited. 
But  this  reason  has  very  little  weight.  In  the 
first  place,  these  islands  are  small,  and  would 
thus  be  the  less  likely  to  be  met  by  canoes 
floating  at  random  over  the  ocean,  which  was 
undoubtedly  the  condition  of  the  first  emi- 
grants ;  and  in  the  next  place,  they  are  sterile, 
and  might  not  have  afforded  subsistence  to 
people  landing  on  them. 

Again,  these  islands  are  not  m  clusters,  but 
scattered  remotely  from  each  other,  and  many 
casualties  may  be  imagined  by  which  settlers 
on  them  might  have  been  cut  off,  even  if  ac- 
cident had  thrown  them  there.  In  short,  lit' 
tie  can  be  said,  as  to  the  mode  of  the  first 
peopling  of  the  Polynesian  Islands,  with  any 
approach  to  certainty.  The  study  of  the  lan- 
guage, which  the  miiasionaries  are  now  prose- 
cuting, will  open  a  new  channel  of  investiga- 
tion, from  which  some  favorable  results  may 
be  hoped.  Nothing  will  probably  put  the  ques- 
tion beyond  controversy,  but  the  discovery  of 
a  language  among  some  of  the  tribes  of  Asia, 
or  America,  which  bears  a  close  resemblance 
to  the  Polynesian. 

VOL     XIV.  1  1 


162 


AMEHICAN     aiOGHAPHY. 


fill!! 


n  'mm 

m  :||i! 


u 


i  mi  A 
.*  '-■a  if 


As  no  written  memorials  of  the  languages 
of  these  tribes  remain,  if  it  should  have  hap- 
pened, that  the  nation  from  which  the  island- 
ers descended  has  become  extinct,  together 
with  its  language,  which  is  most  likely  to  be 
the  case,  the  problem  must  go  down  to  future 
ages,  a  theme  only  for  ingenious  conjecture 
and  speculation.  When  the  prevalence  of  the 
trade  wind  is  considered,  always  setting  to- 
wards tlie  west,  the  probability  of  a  migration 
from  America  is  much  stronger,  than  of  one 
from  Asia.  Ledyard  considers  the  emigration 
to  have  been  comparatively  recent,  because  the 
islands  are  volcanic,  having  been  formed  by 
violent  eruptions  from  the  earth ;  and  many 
centuries  must  have  elapsed  after  such  an 
event,  before  they  could  be  habitable. 

The  journal,  which  has  now  passed  undei 
our  notice,  can  in  no  respect  be  regarded  as  a 
complete  narrative  of  Cook's  Third  Voyage. 
It  was  written,  as  heretofore  stated,  under  many 
disadvantages,  in  haste,  and  without  the  aid  of 
the  author's  original  notes ;  and  to  all  appear- 
ance the  manuscript  was  printed  without  his 
correction  and  supervision.  The  part  prepared 
by  himself  breaks  off,  indeed,  more  than  a  year 
before  the  end  of  the  voyage,  and  was  proba- 
bly filled  out  by  the  publisher  from  the  brief 
account  before  printed  in  England.     Ledyard's 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


163 


iguagcs 
ire  hap- 
islaiid- 
together 
y   to  be 

0  future 
njecture 

of  the 
ting  to- 
nigration 

1  of  one 
nigration 
;ause  the 
rmed  by 
id  many 
such    an 

sed  undei 
rded  as  a 
[  Voyage, 
ider  many 
he  aid  of 
II  appear- 
Lthout   his 
t  prepared 
tian  a  year 
v^as  proba- 
the  brief 
Ledyard's 


descriptions  agree  in  the  main,  however,  with 
those  contained  in  the  large  work,  whicli  after- 
wards appeared  under  the  autiiority  of  tlie  Ad- 
miraUy.  Occasional  differences  will,  of  course, 
naturally  be  expected,  when  we  take  into  view 
the  difterent  circumstances  under  which  the 
commanding  officer,  and  a  corporal  of  marines, 
would  observe  the  objects  and  events  they  de- 
scribed. The  latter  was  often  in  situations  to 
witness  and  contemplate  occurrences,  which 
could  not  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  for- 
mer, and  which,  to  a  mind  acute  and  observ- 
ing like  his,  would  make  impressions  worthy 
to  be  recorded. 

Nor  is  it  any  disparagement  of  the  other 
writers  to  say,  that  several  of  Ledyard's  de- 
scriptions of  the  manners  and  peculiarities  of 
the  natives  are  written  with  a  vivacity,  dis- 
crimination, and  force,  which  they  have  not 
equalled.  He  utters  his  own  sentiments  with 
a  boldness,  and  expresses  himself  with  a  confi- 
dence, that  convince  us  of  his  sincerity,  honest 
zeal,  and  mental  vigor,  even  when  we  cannot 
assent  to  his  opinions.  He  sometimes  censures 
his  superiors  in  office  with  a  freedom  not  al- 
together commendable,  and  imagines  them  to 
have  been  actuated  by  motives,  which  could 
scarcely  exist.  This  may  be  perceived  in  the 
tone    which     pervades    some    of    the    extracts 


■V: 


mm 


=^;;! 


§im . 


7n 


i'i' 


i 


f 


:     ■if® 


iiii" 


tlF.l 


illjF 


(If;!'' 


M  I 
'M  ■  I  -L  ."•11 
:■!'    'J  »i 


'I'r  'i'l'S  ■ 

mm 


■ill 


if 


lb4 


AMERICAN     B  I  0  G  R  A  r  H  r 


quoted  above.  His  station  was  not  one  in 
which  he  could  be  acquainted  with  the  views 
and  plans  of  the  commander,  and  yet  his  in- 
quisitive temper,  and  high  sense  of  his  dignity 
as  a  man,  prompted  him  to  think  for  himself, 
and  put  much  reliance  in  the  conclusions  of 
his  own  mind.  When  these  were  thwarted, 
as  they  often  would  be,  it  was  natural  that 
he  should  suppose  his  superiors  in  an  error, 
especiall_^  if  ill  consequences  resulted  from 
their  measures. 

He  was  accustomed  to  speak  with  high  re- 
spect of  Captain  Cook,  although  he  thought 
his  proceedings  towards  the  natives  sometimes 
rash,  and  even  unjustifiable.  But  this  was  no 
more  than  has  been  thought  by  many  others. 
Nobody  has  ever  doubted  the  purity  of  Cook's 
iatentions,  or  his  humanity  ;  but  he  adopted  a 
system  of  conduct  towards  the  savages,  espe- 
cially in  punish ''ng  slight  offences,  the  policy 
and  goo('  oiiir'o  of  which  were  less  obvious 
to  others  tliaii  iu  Iiimself. 

Pilfering  woa  so  universal  in  all  the  South 
Sea  Isknds,  that  it  was  hardly  recognized  in 
the  mord  code  of  the  natives  as  an  offence, 
much  Icis  a  crime  ;  yet  he  invariably  punished 
transgressions  of  this  kind  with  severity.  A 
long  course  of  experience  had  confirmed  the 
navigator  in  this   system,   and    he    practised   it 


I 


one    m 

e  views 

his   in- 

>  dignity 

himself, 

sions  of 

hwarted, 

iral    that 

m    error, 

ed    from 

high  re- 
thought 
ometimes 
was  no 
y  others. 
3f  Cook's 
idopted  a 
rea,  espe- 
le  pohcy 
s  obvious 

he  South 
jnized  in 
n  offence, 
punished 
rerity.  A 
rmed  the 
'actised    it 


JOHN     L  E  D  Y  A  R  D  . 


165 


usually  with  success.  We  have  seen  how  he 
applied  it  in  the  case  of  Feenou,  who  stole 
the  peacocks  at  Tongataboo  j  and  many  similar 
instances  might  be  cited.  It  was  his  rigid 
adherence  to  this  course,  in  fact,  which  at  last 
caused  bis  death;  for  he  landed  at  Kiverua 
with  the  express  purpose  of  enticing  the  old 
king  on  board,  that  he  might  retain  I.M'a  there 
as  a  hostage,  till  the  stolen  boat  should  be 
givren  up.  The  opinions  of  Ledyard  on  this 
head,  therefore,  though  sometimes  exi)ressed 
with  earnestness,  argue  no  disrespect  or  want 
of  esteem  for  the  commander,  whom  he  hon- 
ored for  the  high  station  to  which  his  merits 
had  raised  him,  and  whom  he  admired  for  his 
many  great  and  good  qualities. 


I 


Ill 


■"'$ 


£2,''^ 


:"■;.,.  I '  I 


■;   "III":.!  ffW'-it '■!( 


\l^. 


m 


l}m    ;■"'  rial!"; 


'fcHJiii,,:.;."!!;.  ■  ! 


gi  iif'i 


S"!   , 


Hif. 


W^ 


f!!l     :.   J 


■";:'"|.!i 


i;'^?( 


Mm 
#fiti*'iii 


I 


166  Aft^ERICAN     UIOGRAPHT. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

Ledyard  returns  to  America.  —  Interview  with 
his  Moihu. —  Writes  his  Journal  of  Cook^s 
Voyage.  —  Visits  New  York,  Philadelphia, 
and  Boston.  —  Plans  a  Vdyage  to  the  North- 
west Coast.  —  Failure  of  the  Enterprise.  — 
Was  the  first  to  propose  such  a  Voyage.  — 
Sails  for  Cadiz;  thence  to  U Orient.  —  Goes 
to  Paris. 

During  the  two  years  succeeding  our  trav- 
eller's arrival  in  England  from  Cook's  last  ex- 
pedition, he  continued  in  the  navy ;  but  what 
rank  he  held,  or  on  what  stations  he  served, 
cannot  now  be  ascertained.  It  is  onl;''  known, 
that  he  refused  to  be  attached  to  any  of  the 
squadroLs,  which  came  out  to  America,  giving 
as  a  reason,  that  he  would  not  appear  in  arms 
against  his  native  country.  Growing  weary, 
however,  of  a  mode  of  life  little  suited  to  his 
disposition,  unless  on  some  adventurous  enter- 
prise, like  that  from  which  he  had  lately  re- 
turned, his  thoughts  began  to  wander  home- 
ward, and  to  dwell  on  the  scenes  of  his  youth- 
ful days.  Apparently  conquering  the  scruples, 
which  he  had  hitherto  urged  as  the  motives 
of  his  reluctance,  he  sought    th<?   first  opportu- 


I 


JOHN     L  E  D  Y  A  B  D  , 


167 


lev)  toith 
f  Cook's 
laddphia^ 
lie  North- 
rpriss.  — 
oyoge.  — 
t.  —  Goes 


T, 


our  trav- 
s  last  ex- 
but  what 
[le   served, 
ily  known, 
ny   of  the 
ica,  giving 
ar  in  arms 
ng    weary, 
ited  to  his 
fous   enter- 
,   lately  re- 
ider  home- 
his  youth- 
le   scruples, 
he   motives 
st  opportu- 


nity to  be  transferred  to  the  American  station ; 
and  in  December,  1782,  we  f  nd  him  on  board 
a  British  man-of-war  in  Huntington  Bay,  Long 
Island  Sound. 

It  was  natural  that  his  first  impulse  should 
be  to  visit  his  mother,  who  lived  at  Southold. 
Ostensibly  for  this  purpose  he  obtained  per- 
mission of  seven  days'  absence  from  the  ship, 
but  evidently  intending  to  return  no  more. 
Long  Island  was  then  in  the  possession  of  the 
British.  He  remained  but  a  short  time  among 
his  old  acquaintances  at  Huntington,  where,  it 
will  be  recollected,  in  his  theological  tour  ten 
years  before,  he  had  ''  feasted  twelve  days  on 
Mr.  Prime's  great  library."  From  this  place 
he  hastened  to  Southold,  and  the  first  inter- 
view with  his  mother  is  represented  as  affect- 
ing. She  kept  a  boarding-house,  which  was 
at  that  time  occupied  chiefly  by  British  offi- 
cers. He  rode  up  to  the  door,  alighted,  went 
in,  and  asked  if  he  could  be  accommodated 
in  her  house  as  a  lodger.  She  replied  that 
he  could,  and  showed  him  a  room,  into  which 
his  baggage  was  conveyed. 

After  havmg  adjusted  his  dress,  he  came 
out  and  took  a  seat  by  the  fire,  in  company 
with  several  other  officers,  without  making 
himself  known  to  his  mother,  or  entering  into 
conversation  with  any  person.     She  frequently 


'liim'i'Z 


Hi 


Mi    i'  •  ,     J 

^:  Ml, 


I'lfs 


l^■/i 


:?jiPi" 


'I 

r 


Ite 


H'   '';   I'M' 

'iT'fil'il  ,"'Jr 


168 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


passed  and  repassed  through  the  room,  and 
her  eye  was  observed  to  be  attracted  towards 
hhn  vvith  more  than  usual  attention.  He  still 
remained  silent.  At  last,  after  looking  at  him 
steadily  for  some  minutes,  she  deliberately  put 
on  her  spectacles,  approached  nearer  to  him, 
begging  his  pardon  for  her  rudeness,  and  tell- 
ing him,  that  he  so  much  resembled  a  yon  of 
hers,  who  had  been  absent  eight  years,  that 
she  could  not  resist  her  inclination  to  view 
him  more  closely.  The  scene  that  followed 
may  be  imagined,  but  not  described ;  for  Led- 
yard  had  a  tender  heart,  and  afiection  for  his 
mother  was  among  its  deepest  and  most  con- 
stani  emotions. 

As  he  had  already  resolved  to  quit  the  Brit- 
ish service,  being  persuaded  that  no  principles 
of  justice  or  honor  could  make  it  his  duty  to 
act  with  the  enemies  of  his  country,  he  thought 
it  prudent,  before  the  seven  days  had  expired, 
to  leave  his  mother's  house,  and  go  over  to 
the  continent.  The  recollections  of  his  child- 
hood detained  him  a  short  time  at  New  Lon- 
don and  Groton,  and  he  then  proceeded  to 
Hartford,  where,  after  a  ten  years'  wandering 
in  the  remotest  corners  of  the  globe,  he  \v- 
ceived  the  cordial  greetings  of  his  early  friends, 
and  found  a  kind  homo  under  the  roof  of  his 
uncle  and  ^'ormer   guardian.      His   feelings   on 


S 


JOHN     LED^ARD. 


169 


,   and 

0  wards 

le  still 

at  him 

Itely  put 

to   him, 

lid  tell- 

uon  of 

ari,  that 

to    view 

followed 

for  Led- 

n  for  his 

nost  con- 

the  Brit- 
principles 
.s  duty  to 
le  thought 
d  expired, 
;o  over   to 

his  child- 
New  Loii- 
)ceeded  to 
wandering 
be,  he  w 
vly  friends, 
roof  of  his 
feelings   on 


this  occasion  will  be  understood  from  his  re- 
marks in  a  letter,  written  shortly  after  he 
reached  Hartford. 

''  You  will  be  surprised  to  hear  of  my  be- 
ing at  Hartford ;  I  am  surprised  myself.  I 
made  my  escape  from  the  British  at  Hunting- 
ton Bay.  I  am  now  at  Mr.  Seymour's,  and 
as  happy  as  need  be.  I  have  a  little  cash, 
two  coats,  three  waistcoats,  six  pair  of  stock- 
ings, and  half  a  dozen  ruffled  shirts.  I  am  a 
violent  Whig  and  a  violent  Tory.  Many  arc 
my  acquaintances.  I  eat  and  drink  when  I 
am  Eisked,  and  visit  when  I  am  invited ;  in 
short,  I  generally  do  as  I  am  bid.  All  I  want 
of  my  friends  is  friendship ;  possessed  of  that, 
1  am  happy." 

In  writing  to  other  persons  he  expresses 
similar  satisfaction ;  and  although;  in  aUuding 
to  the  toils  and  suflerings  he  had  undergone, 
he  declaios  himself  to  have  been  worn  down 
by  them  to  suoh  a  degree,  as  to  make  his  per- 
son so  "  perfect  a  contrast  to  beauty  or  ele- 
gance, that  Hogarth  himself  could  not  deform 
it,"  yet  he  writes  with  a  gayety  and  playful- 
ness, Wi.'ch  show  the  sorrows  of  the  past  to 
have  been  forgotten  in  the  felicity  of  the  pres- 
ent, and  that  no  gloomy  anticipations  of  the 
fiture  were  allowed  to  mingle  their  alloy. 

In    Hartford  he  remained  four  months,   thfU 


'fr 


fir 


'k. 


i:§ 


I  iiiiii 


i 

i 


:;;j,'j||jj||;i,:|t  ^ 


Lew  'i 


WHS 


1    i  i 

B:j;i 

1^1 


170 


AMERICAN     BI0GRAPH7. 


is,  from  the  1st  of  January  till  about  the  1st 
of  May,  in  which  period  he  wrote  the  Journal 
of  Cook's  Voyage.  In  this  occupation,  and  in 
visiting  his  friends,  he  passed  the  winter.  His 
restless  spirit  could  be  tranquil  no  longer.  He 
had  great  projects  in  view,  which  he  was  im- 
patient to  see  executed.  New  adventures  court- 
ed his  fancy,  and  flattering  hopes,  as  usual, 
pressed  him  forward  with  an  ardent,  deter- 
mined, and  ceaseless  zeal.  Bidding  adieu  to 
his  friends  in  Hartford,  he  repaired  to  New 
York,  where  he  unfolded  his  plans  to  sucii 
persons,  as  he  thought  might  be  induced  to 
patronize  them ;  but  not  meeting  with  encour- 
agement adequate  to  his  sanguine  expectations, 
he  hastened  onward  to  Philadelphia.  He  had 
but  just  arrived  in  that  city,  when  he  de- 
scribed his  condition  to  his  cousin,  Dr.  Isaac 
Led  yard,  in  a  manner  so  characteristic,  that  no 
apology  will  be  necessary  for  quoting  the  letter 
in  full. 

"  The  day  after  I  parted  with  you,  I  took 
the  Bordentown  route,  and  the  next  morning 
landed  at  the  Crooked  Billet,  where  I  break- 
fasted, and  sallied  out  to  view  the  nakedness 
of  things  here.  I  first  went  to  McClanagan; 
he  had  no  navigation ;  next  to  two  other 
houses,  but  to  no  purpose.  I  then  went  among 
the   shipping,  and  examined  them  pretty  thor- 


JOHN  LEDYARD. 


171 


the  1st 

!  Journal 
I,  and  in 
iter.  His 
iger.    He 

was  im- 
res  court- 
as  usual, 
nt,   deter- 

adieu  to 
to  New 
;  to  sucli 
iduced  to 
h  encour- 
pectations, 
He  had 
!n   he   de- 

Dr.  Isaac 

c,  that  no 
the  letter 

)u,  I   took 

t  morning 
I  I  break- 
nakedness 

jClanagan ; 

two  other 
ent  among 
retty  thor- 


oughly. I  doubt  that  I  should  even  be  put 
to  it  to  get  to  sea  before  the  mast.  The  most 
of  the  shipping  here  are  foreigners.  Sixteen 
sail,  of  seven  different  maritime  powers,  arrived 
a  few  days  ago.  Fourteen  sailors  went  out 
to  the  northward  the  morning  I  arrived,  for 
want  of  employ,  and  numbers  are  strolling  the 
docks  on  the  same  account.  There  is  at  pres- 
ent little  home  navigation. 

<'  After  a  walk  of  about  four  hours,  I  re- 
turned to  my  quarters,  asked  for  a  room  to 
change  my  dress,  and  went  up  and  counted 
my  cash ;  turned  it  over  and  looked  at  it ; 
shook  it  in  my  hand ;  recounted  it,  and  found 
two  French  crowns,  half  a  crown,  one  fourth 
of  a  dollar,  one  eighth  of  a  dollar,  and  just 
twelve  coppers.  Shall  I  visit  H.'s  ?  I  looked 
at  my  stockings ;  they  will  do ;  my  shoes ;  if 
I  look  that  way,  my  two  crowns  and  I  shall 
j)ait.  We  did  part ;  I  put  my  new  pumps  on, 
washed,  shaved,  and  went  to  H.'s,  where  I  had 
determined  not  to  go.  Mr.  H.  is  now  wait- 
ing for  his  horse ;  he  is  going  to  Princeton. 
This  will  go  by  him.  I  am  at  a  loss  wheth- 
er to  say  anything  about  money  here,  or  de- 
pend upon  this  letter  meeting  you  at  Prince- 
ton, wait  the  return  of  Mr.  H.,  the  chance  he 
has  of  seeing  you,  or  —  I  don't  know  what  to 
do.      I  am  determined.      Send    me,  either    by 


p 

p 

',    :V, 

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■  V'^  ll 


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172 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


Mr.  H.  or  the  first  conveyance,  some  cash. 
Adieu." 

In  this  state  of  embarrassment  he  continued 
for  several  days,  seeking  employment  without 
iccess,  mortified  at  the  defeat  of  all  his  pur- 
poses, and  chagrined  that  his  schemes  should 
be  so  coldly  received  by  those,  who,  he  had 
fondly  hoped,  would  understand  and  promote 
them.  By  another  letter,  however,  written  two 
or  three  weeks  after  the  above,  it  would  ap- 
pear that  a  gleam  of  light  was  breaking  iu 
upon  him,  and  that  his  perseverance  had  not 
been  wholly  fruitless.  He  writes  again  to  his 
cousin. 

"  It  is  uncertain  by  what  medium  of  con- 
veyance this  may  reach  you.  I  design  it  for 
the  Amboy  House,  and  thence  to  Middletown. 
A  duplicate  will  be  directed  to  Princeton.  It 
is  abundantly  manifest  that  this  argues  anx- 
iety, and  of  so  intense  a  kind  too,  as  to  prompt 
a  wish  for  the  possibility  of  the  annihilation 
of  time  and  distance.  I  have  been  so  often 
the  sport  of  fortune,  that  I  durst  hardly  credit 
the  present  dawn  of  bright  prospects.  But  it 
is  a  fact,  that  the  Honorable  Robert  Morris  is 
disposed  to  give  me  a  ship  to  go  to  the  North 
Pacific  Ocean.  I  have  had  two  interviews 
with  him  at  the  Finance  Office,  and  to-morrow 
I  expect  a  conclusive  one.     What  a  noble  hold 


I 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


173 


(ine   cash. 

continued 
t   without 
I  his  pur- 
les  should 
),   he    had 
1    promote 
written  two 
would   ap- 
reaking    in 
;e  had    not 
gain  to  his 

m    of  con- 
esign  it  for 
diddletown. 
inceton.     It 
irgues   anx- 
s  to  prompt 
annihilation 
m   so    often 
lardly  credit 
cts.     But  it 
jrt  Morris  is 
to  the  North 
I    interviews 
d  to-morrow 
a  nohle  hold 


he  instantly  took  of  the  enterprise !  I  have 
been  two  days,  at  his  request,  drawing  up  a 
minute  detail  of  a  plan,  and  an  estimate  of 
the  outfits,  which  I  shall  present  him  with  to- 
morrow ;  and  I  am  pleased  to  find,  thr.t  it  will 
be  two  thousand  pounds  less  than  one  of  his 
own.  I  take  the  lead  of  the  greatest  com- 
mercial enterprise,  that  has  ever  been  embarked 
on  in  this  country ;  and  one  of  the  first  mo- 
ment, as  it  respects  the  trade  of  America.  If 
the  affair  is  concluded  on,  as  I  expect  it  will 
be,  it  is  probable  I  shall  set  off  for  New  Eng- 
land to  procure  seamen,  or  a  ship,  or  both. 
Morris  is  wrapped  up  in  the  idea  of  Yankee 
sailors. 

"  Necessity  has  overcome  my  delicacy.  I 
Iiave  unbosomed  myself  to  H.,  and  laid  my 
poverty  open  to  him.  He  has  relieved  me 
for  the  present,  which  I  have  told  him  to 
draw  on  you  for.  Send  rne  some  money,  for 
Heaven's  sake,  lest  the  laurel,  now  suspended 
over  the  brows  of  your  friend,  should  fall  irre- 
coverably into  the  dust.     Adieu." 

The  enterprise  to  which  hfl  illhld^'S  In  this 
letter,  as  having  been  concerted  with  Mr.  Moi 
ris,  and  which  had  occupied  liia  thoughts  ever 
since  his  return  from  Cook's  expedition,  was  i|. 
trading  voyage  to  the  Northwest  (Jottsl-  At 
this    time  no    such    mercantile    arivenluio    li/ifl 


174 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


mi 


m4 


Wm 


i 


been  attempted,  either  in  this  country  or  Eu- 
rope, nor  is  it  known  that  any  thing  of  the 
kind  had  even  been  contemplated.  Ledyard's 
knowledge  of  the  resources  of  the  Northwest 
Coast  in  furs,  derived  from  his  observations 
while  there,  particularly  at  Nootka  Sound  and 
the  Russian  establishment  on  the  Island  of 
Onalaska,  together  with  the  enormous  advances, 
which  he  had  seen  paid  in  Canton  on  the 
original  cost  of  thi:s  article,  had  convinced  him 
that  great  profits  might  be  realized  by  a  voy- 
age fitted  out  expressly  for  this  trade. 

Hitherto  no  market  had  been  opened  to  the 
natives,  by  which  they  could  dispose  of  the 
superabundance  of  their  furs,  or  receive  such 
articles  in  exchange  as  might  suit  their  fancy 
or  convenience  ;  hence  the  furs  could  be  pur- 
chased extremely  low,  and  paid  for  in  com- 
modities of  little  intrinsic  value,  and  at  such 
prices  as  the  vendor  might  chocfso  to  affix.  It 
was  clear,  therefore,  in  his  mind,  that  they 
who  should  first  engage  in  this  trade  would 
reap  immense  profits  by  their  earliest  efiforts, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  gain  such  knowledge 
and  experience,  as  would  enable  them  to  pur- 
sue it  for  years,  with  advantages  superior  to 
any  that  could  be  commanded  by  the  compet- 
itors who  might  be  diawn  into  the  same  chaii- 
nel  of  commerce. 


JOHN     li  E  D  Y  A  R  D 


175 


f  or  Eu- 
;  of  the 
^edyard's 
forthwest 
servations 
3und  and 
island  of 
advances, 
1  on  the 
need  him 
►y  a  voy- 

ed  to  the 
>e  of  the 
3ive  such 
leh'  fancy 
1  be  pur- 
in  com- 
i  at  such 
I  affix.  It 
that  they 
ide  would 
jst  efforts, 
knowledge 
m  to  pur- 
uperior  to 
le  compet- 
ime  chaa- 


So  strong  had  grown  his  confidence  in  the 
accuracy  of  his  opinions,  by  long  reflection  on 
the  subject,  and  such  was  the  eagerness  of 
his  desire  to  prove  the  truth  of  his  theory  by 
actual  experiment,  that  he  applied  the  whole 
energy  of  his  mind  and  character  to  the  task 
of  creating  an  interest  in  his  project  among 
the  merchants,  who  had  the  means  of  carry- 
ing it  into  efliect,  and  without  whose  patron- 
age nothing  could  be  done.  In  New  York 
he  was  unsuccessful ;  his  scheme  was  called 
wild  and  visionary,  and  set  down  as  bearing 
the  marks  rather  of  a  warm  imagination  and 
sanguine  temperament,  than  of  a  sober  and 
mature  judgment.  No  merchant  was  found 
willing  to  hazard  his  money,  or  his  reputation, 
ni  an  adventure  so  novel  in  its  kind,  and  so 
questionable  in  its  promise ;  a  scheme  not  only 
untried,  but  never  before  thoi  'ht  of.  His  first 
inquiries  in  Philadelphia  met  vith  no  better 
favor,  till  Mr.  Robert  Morris,  with  an  ertlarge- 
ment  of  mind  and  purpose,  which  character- 
ized his  undertakings,  enters  i  into  his  views, 
and  made  arrangements  to  furnish  the  outfits 
of  a  voyage,  according  to  the  plan  hs  drew 
up. 

The  first  thing  to  be  done  was  to  procure 
a  ship  suitable  foi  sur.h  a  voyage.  At  that 
time  there  was  noi.e    unemployed  in  Philadel- 


r>S 


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17G 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


phia,  and  Ledyard  was  despatched  to  Boston, 
where  it  was  thought  a  purchase  might  speed- 
ily be  effected,  and  where  progress  was  actu- 
ally made  in  the  preparation  of  a  vessel  for 
this  purpose ;  but,  for  some  cause  not  now 
known,, it  was  taken  for  a  voyage  of  a  differ- 
ent kind.  He  next  proceeded  to  New  Lon- 
don, where  the  Continental  frigate  Trumbull 
was  engaged  for  the  voyage ;  but  this  ship  was 
afterwards  diverted  to  another  adventure,  sug- 
gested by  this  plan.  The  Count  d^Artois,  a 
large  French  ship  then  lying  in  the  harbor  of 
New  London,  was  next  thought  of,  but  was 
finally  otherwise  destined.  Again,  a  ship  in 
New  York,  of  about  three  hundred  tons,  was 
provided  ;  but,  on  examination,  it  proved  to  be 
so  old  and  defective,  that  it  was  condemned 
as  unsafe  for  a  voyage  of  such  length  and 
hazard. 

The  season  was  by  this  time  too  far  ad- 
vanced to  think  of  prosecuting  the  voyage  be- 
fore the  next  spring.  Meantime  Mr.  Daniel 
Parker  was  employed  to  purchase  a  ship  in 
New  York,  and  to  have  it  in  readiness  as  soon 
as  the  favorable  season  for  its  sailing  should 
arrive.  A  ship  was  procured  accordingly,  but 
the  outfits  were  delayed  from  time  to  time, 
till  the  winter  passed  by,  and  then  the  spring ; 
and,  at  last,   it  was  sent    on    an    adventure   to 


• 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


177 


Canton.  Thus  a  year  was  spent,  in  a  vexa- 
tions and  fruitless  struggle  to  overcome  diffi- 
culties, which  thickened  as  he  advanced,  till 
his  patience,  and  that  of  Mr.  Morris  also,  would 
seem  to  have  been  exhausted,  for  the  voyage 
was  altogether  abandoned. 

While  he  was  in  New  London  negotiating 
for  the  ship  Trumbull,  after  his  return  from 
Boston,  he  wrote  a  letter  to  his  mother,  from 
which  an  extract  here  follows. 

"  This  is  the  first  opportunity,  in  reality, 
which  I  have  had  of  writing  to  you,  since  I 
have  been  in  this  country.  My  ambition  to 
do  everything,  which  my  disposition  as  a  man, 
and  my  relative  character  as  a  citizen,  and 
more  tenderly  as  the  leading  descendant  of  a 
broken  and  distressed  family,  should  prompt 
me  to  do,  has  engaged  me  in  every  kind  of 
speculation,  which  afforded  the  least  probabil- 
ity of  advancing  my  interest,  my  happiness,  or 
the  happiness  of  my  friends.  These  different 
engagements  have  led  me  into  different  con- 
ditions; sometimes  I  have  been  elated  with 
hope,  sometimes  depressed  with  disappointment 
and  distress.  I  postponed  informing  you  of 
my  circumstances,  indulging  the  constant  hope 
of  their  soon  being  better,  until  which  time  I 
was  determined  you  should  not  Know  any- 
thing particularly  concerning  me.     If  that  time 


VOL.    XIV. 


12 


178 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


li 


:;ti:.'-3! 


'^hi 


P 


.1  ;; 


Ell;     "IIH.  !H;iMi 

I  im 

V::!:  li,     '.jii 


is  now  arrived,  it  has  been  more  from  the  in- 
fluence of  a  kind  Providence,  than  my  own 
merits. 

"  My  prospects,  at  present,  are  a  voyage  to 
the  East  Indies,  and  eventually  round  the 
world.  It  will  be  of  two  or  three  years'  du- 
ration. If  I  am  successful,  I  shall  not  have 
occasion  to  absent  myself  any  more  from  my 
friends ;  but,  above  all,  I  hope  to  have  it  hi 
my  power  to  minister  to  the  wants  of  a  be- 
loved parent,  and  others  who  languish  and 
fade  in  obscurity.  My  dear  sisters  engage  my 
tenderest  love,  and  solicitude  for  their  future 
welfare.  My  best  wish  is,  that  they  may  be 
educated  and  disposed  of  suitably  to  the  beauty 
of  their  persons,  and  their  excellent  hearts,  and 
that  I  could  be  instrufiaental  in  conferring 
such  a  kindness.  I  beg  my  brotherly  saluta- 
tions to  them.  Tell  them  I  long  to  strew 
roses  in  their  laps,  and  branches  of  palm  be- 
neath their  feet." 

It  ought  to  be  recorded  in  this  place,  that 
while  Ledyard  was  in  New  York,  anxiously 
waiting  for  a  vessel,  his  embarrassments,  occa- 
sioned by  the  want  of  money,  were  often  re- 
lieved, in  a  spirit  of  great  kindness,  by  Mr. 
Comfort  Sands.  This  gentleman  became  ac- 
quainted with  him  in  Philadelphia,  and  early 
approved    and    promoted   the    enterprise  which 


JOHN     LED  YARD, 


179 


the  in- 
ly own 

rage   to 

nd    the 

lars'  du- 

)t   have 

om  my 

7e  it    ill 

•f  a  be- 

ish    and 

?age  my 

f   future 

may  be 

e  beauty 

arts,  and 

Qnferring 

jr  saluta- 

to   strew 

paltn   be- 

ace,  that 
mxiously 
ts,  occa- 
often  re- 
,  by  Mr. 
came  ac- 
md  early 
se  which 


he  had  in  contemplation  ;  he  proposed  sending 
an  adventure  by  the  same  voyage,  and  during 
the  whole  preparation  rendered  him  essential 
services,  for  which  it  is  believed  he  never  re- 
ceived any  other  returns,  than  such  as  always 
attend  the  consciousness  of  benevolent  acts, 
and  of  having  aided  the  advancement  of  large 
and  useful  designs. 

Not  discouraged  by  the  ill  fortune  which  he 
had  so  signally  experienced,  Ledyard  resolved 
not  to  relinquish  his  purpose,  till  he  had  made 
other  trials  to  carry  it  forward.  He  repaired 
to  New  London,  and  suggested  the  same  ad- 
venture to  persons  of  commercial  pursuits  in 
that  port.  He  was  particularly  strenuous  in 
persuading  Captain  Deshon,  who  owned  a  fine 
new  ship  then  lying  in  the  harbor,  and  well 
constructed  for  such  a  voyage,  to  embark  with 
him  in  a  trading  expedition  to  the  Northwest 
Coast.  Captain  Deshon  Avas  the  nephew  of 
the  commander  of  the  vessel  in  which  Led- 
yard sailed  to  Gibraltar ;  and,  although  at  that 
time  a  youth,  he  was  himself  on  board  in  the 
service  of  his  uncle.  A  friendship  had  ever 
afterwards  subsisted  between  the  two  voyagers, 
and  Captain  Deshon  was  now  willing  to  join 
with  his  friend  in  any  mercantile  adventure, 
which  should  seem  to  him  practicable,  safe, 
and   affording    a  reasonable    prospect    of  gain. 


(I  I 


r' 


180 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


!r:'ii 


mm 

•    '  '  '■  'I; 


I 


^■11 


.HI 


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ill  m 


•^'•=3  ill 


.■(:i: 


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■C'^. 


But  Ledyard  drew  so  glowing  a  picture  of  the 
advantages  to  be  derived  from  his  projected 
voyage,  the  trifling  vahie  of  the  articles  neces- 
sary for  an  outward  cargo,  and  the  immense 
advances  that  would  be  received  on  the  price 
of  the  articles  purchased ;  in  short,  his  enthu- 
siasm gave  so  bright  a  coloring  to  his  repre- 
sentations, and  such  amplitude  to  his  hopes, 
that  Captain  Deshon  could  not  so  far  resist 
the  dictates  of  prudence,  as  to  participate  in 
feelings  and  views,  which  he  deemed  little 
short  of  romantic,  and  as  more  strongly  tinged 
with  the  native  warmth  of  his  character,  than 
with  that  trait  of  mind  which  weighs  and 
deliberates  cautiously  before  it  resolves. 

It  is  needless  to  add,  that,  under  these  im- 
pressions, he  could  not  prevail  on  himself  to 
second  his  friend's  wishes;  yet  he  was  after- 
wards heard  to  say,  that  Ledyard's  accoimt, 
in  its  minutest  details,  was  verified  by  the  first 
voyages  of  that  kind  from  the  United  States, 
and  that  he  had  often  regretted  his  not  hav- 
ing listened  to  him,  and  prosecuted  the  voy- 
age in  compliance  with  his  solicitation.  As 
far  as  can  be  ascertained,  Ledyard's  views  of 
the  subject,  both  as  unfolded  in  the  transac- 
tions with  Mr.  Morris  and  with  Captain  De- 
shon, accorded  exactly  with  those  acted  upon 
by   the    first    adventurers,   who  were  rewarded 


JOHN      L  E  D  Y  A  R  D 


181 


of  the 
>jected 
neces- 
imense 
ie  price 
enthu- 
repre- 
hopes, 
resist 
pate    in 
d    little 
r  tinged 
er,  than 
hs    and 

lese   im- 
mself  to 
as  after- 
account, 
the  first 
I  States, 
not  hav- 
the  voy- 
ion.      As 
views  of 
;  transac- 
(tain    De- 
ted  upon 
rewarded 


with  extraordinary  success.  It  was  a  part  of 
his  plan  to  purchase  lands  of  the  natives,  and 
establish  a  factory,  or  colony,  for  the  purpose 
of  a  continued  intercourse  and  trade. 

Weary  of  making  fruitless  applications  in  his 
own  country,  Ledyard  determined  to  embark 
for  Europe,  where  he  might  expect  better  pat- 
ronage from  larger  capitalists,  and  in  a  wider 
field  of  commercial  activity.  Mr.  Morris  had 
made  him  some  compensation  for  the  time  he 
had  spent  in  his  service,  and  favored  him  with 
several  letters  of  recommendation  to  eminent 
merchants  abroad,  particularly  in  France.  He 
took  passage  in  a  vessel  from  New  London, 
bound  to  Cadiz.  On  the  1st  of  June,  1784, 
he  wrote  as  follows  to  his  mother. 

"  Since  I  saw  you  last,  I  have  passed  through 
a  great  many  difficulties  and  disappointments, 
which  my  most  intimate  friends  are,  and  must 
be  for  the  present,  at  least,  unacquainted  with, 
as  it  will  answer  no  good  purpose  to  break 
their  repose,  or  add  to  my  cares,  by  reflecting 
on  what  is  past,  and  thence  anticipating  evil. 
You  have  no  doubt  heard  of  my  very  great 
disappointment  at  New  York.  For  a  moment, 
all  the  fortitude  that  ten  years'  misfortune  had 
taught  me  could  hardly  snpport  me.  I  am 
now  very  well  in  health.  This  will  probably 
be  the  last  letter  I  shall   write    you  from    thi? 


4*^  ' 


182 


AMERICAN     BIOGHAPHT. 


im 


ill 


rh.    J      .lllf  |J:i| 


i'l 


^  r^.  Ill 


mf, 


,:i  .^1 


.  I- 


country.  I  shall  sail  within  twelve  days  for 
Spain,  whence  I  expect  to  go  to  France,  and 
there  again  to  renew  the  business  I  was  so 
unfortunate  in  at  New  York.  If  I  succeed  in 
my  wishes,  it  may  be  two  or  three  years  be- 
fore I  return.  In  this  interim,  I  pray  you  to 
give  me  your  blessing  and  your  prayers.  My 
sisters  I  hope  are  well,  and  beg  them  to  ac- 
cept a  brother's  love.  Please  to  present  my 
kuid  love  to  my  brothers.  May  that  Being, 
who  is  infinitely  great  and  infinitely  good,  be 
the. friend  of  them,  and  of  us  all." 

He  sailed  for  Spain,  as  here  intimated,  short- 
ly after  writing  this  letter,  having  been  the. 
first,  whether  in  America  or  Europe,  to  suggest 
a  scheme  of  trade  with  the  Northwest  Coast, 
which  has  since  proved  to  be  a  very  lucrative 
field  of  commerce  to  merchants  in  both  hem- 
ispheres. It  was  more  than  a  year  after  his 
earliest  application  to  the  merchants  in  New 
York,  before  any  expedition  of  the  kind  was 
fitted  out  from  Europe.  The  first  voyage  from 
the  United  States  to  the  Northwest  Coast  was 
in  the  ship  Columbia,  of  three  hundred  tons, 
which  sailed  from  Boston  under  the  command 
of  Captain  John  Kendrick,  about  three  years 
after  Ledyard's  visit  to  that  place  in  search  of 
a  ship  for  Mr.  Morris.  He  may  justly  be  con- 
sidered, therefore,  the  first  projector  of  this 
branch  of  commerce. 


JOHN     LEDYARD, 


183 


lays  for 
ice,  and 
was  so 
jceed  in 
ears  be- 
you  to 
Ts.  My 
I  to  ac- 
sent  my 
t  Being, 
good,  be 

}d,  short- 
3een   the 
0  suggest 
st  Coast, 
lucrative 
3th  hem- 
after   his 
in    New- 
kind  was 
rage  from 
!oast  was 
Ired  tons, 
command 
ree    years 
search  of 
y  be  con- 
of   this 


Captain  Kendrick  so  far  adopted  his  ulterior 
purpose,  as  to  purchase  lands  of  the  natives, 
with  a  view  of  founding  a  colony  there,  when 
a  proper  occasion  should  offer.  To  this  end, 
he  look  formal  deeds  of  the  land,  confirmed 
by  the  signs  manual  of  the  chiefs,  who  claimed 
the  territory.*  To  some  of  his  friends  .Led- 
yard  mentioned  his  intention  of  leaving  the 
ship  on  the  coast,  when  the  cargo  should  be 
obtained,  and  exploring  the  country  over  land 
from  Nootka  Sound,  or  some  point  farther  north, 
across  to  the  Mississippi  and  Ohio  Rivers,  thus 
traversing  the  whole  space  between  the  Pa- 
cific and  Atlantic  Oceans.  Meantime  the  ves- 
sel was  to  proceed  to  China,  and  thence  to 
return  and  meet  him  in  New  York,  ready  for 
another  voyage. 

But  all  the  fine  prospects,  which  he  had 
dwelt  upon  in  anticipation,  are  to  be  given  up 
for  the  present,  and  we  must  follow  him  to 
Europe.  The  passage  to  Cadiz  was  favorable 
and  expeditious.  He  does  not  seem  to  have 
had  any  special  design  in  visiting  Cadiz,  in 
reference  to  the  main  object  of  his  crossing 
the  Atlantic.    This  destination  probably  await- 

*  The  oriofinai  deeds  are  now  in  the  office  of  the  Sec- 
retary  of  State  in  Washington.  In  company  with  the  Co' 
lumhia  was  the  Washington,  a  vessel  of  one  hundred  tons' 
burden,  commanded  by  Captain  ilobert  Gray, 


■  ;;rE! 


!l 


:)\\ 


km  ''''m*m 


?'^i4' 


sAj 


1# 


1 


•■'if."  J'    '  iSi  i 

i  [Us  11     llf  1!  1  I 


lllllliS|||ii 


184 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


ed  him.  in  consequence  of  an  opportunity  pre- 
senting itself  of  a  more  direct  passage  to  that 
port,  tlian  to  any  other  in  the  south  of  Europe. 
L'Orient  was  the  city  which  he  intended  to 
visit,  and  in  which  he  had  been  encouraged 
to  look  for  patrons  of  his  projected  enterprise. 
He  had  been  furnished  with  letters  to  wealthy 
and  enterprising  merchants  there,  and  he  made 
all   haste  to  be  on  the  spot. 

Various  causes  of  delay  kept  him  in  Cadiz 
more  than  a  month.  This  time  he  filled  up 
as  well  as  he  could,  in  gaining  information  of 
the  place,  of  its  resources  and  trade,  and  of 
the  mani:ers  and  character  of  the  people.  He 
also  endeavored  to  drive  away  the  melancholy 
thoughts,  incident  to  the  anxiety  of  his  situa- 
tion, by  mingling  in  social  circles,  and  contriv- 
ing to  be  entertained  by  the  public  amuse- 
ments, that  were  much  frequented  by  all  ranks 
of  people.  On  the  16th  of  August  he  wrote 
thus  to  Dr.  Ledyard  frojn  Cadiz. 

"Just  as  I  was  seated,  and  had  dated  my 
letter,  the  carriage  of  General  O'Reilly  hove  in 
view,  a  clumsy,  Gothic  vehicle,  dragged  by  five 
jaded  mules  to  the  bull-fight.  Who  is  Gen- 
eral O'Reilly  ?  A  poor,  migrating,  Irish  cadet  ; 
a  soldier  that  was  scalded  at  the  storm  of 
Gibraltar.  O'Reilly  is  to  Cadiz,  and  all  within 
his  jurisdiction,    which    consists   of   two   prov- 


JOHN     LE  DYARD. 


185 


y  pre- 
o  that 
111  rope, 
ded  to 
)uraged 
erprise. 
iveaUhy 
made 

Cadiz 
illed  up 
ation  of 

and  of 
Die.  He 
lancholy 
lis  sitiia- 

contriv- 
5  amuse- 
all  ranks 
he  wrote 

.ated  my 
J  hove  in 
d  by  five 
)  is  Gen- 
jh  cadet; 
storm  of 
dl  within 
wo   prov- 


inces, what  Czar  Peter  was  to  Russia.  The 
reform  he  has  made  in  the  minutest  parts  of 
his  government,  as  well  as  the  most  important, 
is  looked  upon  as  a  phenomenon  in  this  coun- 
try. He  has,  with  a  boldness  that  character- 
izes an  enterprising  commander  and  legislator, 
even  struck  at  those  old  habits  among  a  peo- 
ple so  dangerous  to  be  meddled  with.  Envy 
is  the  natural  concomitant  of  such  merit,  and 
O'Reilly  has  probably  greater  friends  and  ene- 
mies at  the  court  of  Madrid  than  any  other 
cliaracter  in  the  kingdom ;  and  both  parties 
had  a  fair  opportunity  of  cont'^sting  their  as- 
cendency, after  the  miscarriage  of  the  late  de- 
scent against  the  Moors ;  but  his  conquering 
his  court  enemies  at  home  fully  compensated 
that  misfortune  abroad,  and  confirmed  his  fame, 
nay,  added  to  its  lustre.*    To  execute  all  these 


*  This  alludes  to  an  attack  by  the  Spaniards  on  Algiera 
in  the  year  1775.  A  formidable  armament  of  six  ships  of 
the  line,  twelve  frijrates,  a  larcfe  number  of  smaller  vessels, 
and  twenty-tive  thousand  men,  all  under  the  command  of 
the  Conde  de  O'Reilly,  formed  that  expedition.  A  large 
p.al  of  the  army  was  landed,  and  a  partial  battle  ensued, 
m  which  the  Spaniards  met  with  a  signal  and  most  dis- 
graceful defeat.  Severe  censures  were  pnssed  on  O'Reilly, 
and  a  general  spirit  of  indignation  existed  against  him 
throughout  Spain ;  but  tlie  weight  of  his  talents,  and  hig 
influence  at  court,  enabled  him  to  triumph  over  his  ene- 
mies, and  to  sustain  himself  in  the  liighest  stations. 


( 


^     !fi 


186 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


%  K'l 


^;^-^  inn 

'W 


■  m 


great  matters,  O'Reilly  is  not  the  man  you 
would  suppose.  His  education  is  contracted ; 
he  is  capricious,  severe,  and  arrogant-;  ordinary 
in  his  person,  and   forbidding  in  his  address. 

"  The  exhibition  of  the  bull-fights  is  in  a 
spacious  amphitheatre,  that  will  accommodate 
twelve  thousand  spectators.  The  horsemen 
display  more  skill  and  courage  than  the  foot- 
men. But  it  is  a  barbarous  amus'^ment.  There 
are  many  Irish  inhabitants  here,  all  of  whom 
are  particularly  friendly  to  Americans.  I  am 
now  writing  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Harrison, 
handsomely  situated  on  the  side  of  the  Ala- 
meda. I  take  a  family  dinner  with  him  to- 
day, having  already  taken  a  formal  one.  The 
British  Consul  also  receives  me  with  great  po- 
liteness. But  what  I  am  doing  &mong  these 
gentry,  with  only  half  a  dollar  and  four  reals 
in  my  pocket,  you  must,  with  me,  wait  for 
time  to  develop.  I  shall  soon  leave  this  place 
for  France,  and  my  route  will  be  either  up  the 
Mediterranean  to  Marseilles,  and  thence  on  the 
grand  canal  west  to  Bourdeaux,  or  along  the 
coast  of  Spain  and  Portugal  by  sea.  I  yester- 
day conversed  with  an  Englishman,  who  is 
commissioned  to  treat  privately  with  our  States 
in  behalf  of  the  Emperor  of  Morocco ;  but  if 
I  can  persuade  him  to  send  his  Arabic  com- 
mission    ack,  and   join  me   with  his  cash  and 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


187 


Hn   you 
racted ; 
)rdinary 
Iress. 
is  in  a 
imodate 
orsemen 
le   foot- 
There 
whom 
I  am 
larrisoii, 
the  Ala- 
him    to- 
e.     The 
^reat  po- 
ng   these 
3ur   reals 
wait  for 
his  place 
3r  up  the 
e  on  the 
long    the 
I  yester- 
who    is 
>ur  States 
) ;  but  if 
bic    com- 
cash  and 


importance  at  Bourdeaux,  or  Nantz  — .  The 
preliminary  step  is  accomplished,  and  he  is  now 
somewhere  in  the  town,  as  busy  in  the  att'air 
as  a  dozen  such  heads  as  mine  could  be." 

Since  no  more  is  heard  of  this  commissioner 
from  the  Emperor  of  Morocco,  it  is  presumed 
the  preliminary  step  was  the  only  one  taken 
in  the  business.  Ledyard  remained  in  Cadiz, 
apparently  waiting  for  a  passage  either  to  Mar- 
seilles, or  to  some  port  in  the  west  of  France, 
as  chance  might  offer.  He  wrote  to  his  friends, 
communicating  his  observations  on  what  passed 
around  him,  but  said  little  of  his  own  circum- 
stances or  prospects.  The  remarks  now  about 
to  be  quoted,  are  contained  in  a  letter  written 
to  his  correspondent  in  America,  after  he  '.ad 
been  two  weeks  at  Cadiz,  and  are  not  more 
curious  for  their  singularity,  than  for  the  his- 
torical hints  they  convey,  in  regard  to  the  state 
of  knowledge  and  feeling,  which  then  prevailed 
in  the  south  of  Europe,  respecting  the  United 
States. 

"  The  people  in  this,  as  in  other  parts  of 
Europe,  are  more  systematic  than  you  [Amer- 
icans] are  in  everything.  Here  the  routine  of 
life,  however  varied,  is  still  uniform,  whether 
composed  of  virtue  or  vice,  wisdom  or  folly. 
Before  dinner,  the  merchant,  mechanic,  and  or- 
dinary laborer,  are   assiduously  intent  on  their 


I 


188 


AxMKRICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


itU 


•!':  ':-j.'i«-''';:ii|(i't| 


$ 


.<'i 


w! '  'I"  >  ■'■■1.  I 

ip'iill 

*  Its  ■;"■••!'""  I 


:li» 


'i?<;ivii 


If, 4 

fit.   ^ 


t'li  I 

iiii.  < 


different  employments.  After  dinner,  they  as 
regularly  devote  themselves  to  their  several  grat- 
ifications, which  consist  either  of  conversation 
or  sleep.  The  opulent  and  polite  adopt  the 
first.  At  a  polite  table,  therefore,  you  hear  the 
very  best  things  they  are  capable  of  saying. 
Here,  then,  I  am  told  you  err  in  your  politics ; 
I  mean  that  kind  of  policy,  which  your  inde- 
pendence has  given  birth  to.  The  general  dis- 
approbation of  your  present  government  on  this 
score,  is  the  sentiment  of  those  who  are  sub- 
jects of  other  nations,  as  we'l  as  of  this  ;  but 
I  am  happy  to  say,  that  I  have  found  no  char- 
acter, who  any  otherwise  thinks  ill  of  you. 

"  This  is  not  a  negative  regard,  bestowed 
on  a  people  they  think  cannot  approximate 
their  importance,  and  therefore  deserve  pity;  it 
is  a  positive  one  ;  and  you  may  please  your- 
selves with  the  assurance  of  its  originating  from 
your  general  conduct  during  the  war.  Another 
feather  in  your  cap,  and  that  not  an  obscure 
one,  let  me  tell  you,  is  the  plain,  affable,  and 
honest  deportment  of  your  kinsfolk,  who  so- 
journ hereabout.  Brother  Jonathan  is  an  agree- 
able singularity.  These  observations,  which 
you  are  included  m,  did  not  come  from  the 
cabinet  of  Charles,  or  the  Pope,  who  no  doubt 
hate  you  very  sincerely ;  the  one  for  your  laws, 
which    he  fears;    and  the  other  for    your  reli- 


JOHN     LEDYA  RD, 


189 


hey  as 
al  grat- 
rsation 
)pt  the 
lear  the 
saying. 
)olitics ; 
ir  iude- 
;ral  dis- 
on  this 
ire  siib- 
lis ;  but 
10  char- 
^ou. 

estowed 
oximate 
pity;  it 
,e  your- 
ng  from 
Another 
obscure 
ble,  and 
who  so- 
n  agree- 
which 
om  the 
o  doubt 
lur  laws, 
our  reli- 


gion, which  he  is  unwise  enough  to  abom- 
inate. 

"  The  great  complaint,  which  people  make 
against  your  government,  is  the  obscure,  unim- 
portant, unenergetic  investitures  of  Congress. 
So  strongly  are  they  impressed  with  the  idea 
of  the  degree  of  power,  which  Congress  ought 
to  hold,  compared  with  what  they  now  con- 
ceive it  to  be  invested  with,  that  they  declare 
the  resolve  of  a  Boston  committee  commands 
more  immediate  attention  in  Cadiz,  than  a 
congressional  one  would  do ;  observing,  that 
although  Congress  claims  more  respectability, 
it  only  demands  what  it  ought  to  have,  and 
not  what  it  is  possessed  of. 

"  They  further  add,  that  whatever  embarrass- 
ments may  attend  the  progress  of  a  young  na- 
tion, and  however  excusable  some  exigencies 
may  have  rendered  some  parts  of  your  conduct, 
yet  surely  the  leading  preliminaries,  the  first 
strong  outlines,  that  form  the  basis  of  a  great 
republic,  cannot  be  thus  lost  sight  of  without 
reflecting  on  your  councils.  Have  you  formed 
even  a  treaty  of  friendship  with  that  pestilen- 
tial meteor  in  power,  Hamet,  Emperor  of  Mo- 
rocco? No.  Have  you  in  your  own  right  a 
Mediterranean  passport  ?  No.  What  security 
have  you  then  for  your  Straits-men?  The 
savage  Hamet  knows  no  medium  in  such  kind 


1, 


m 


tliii 


m 


190 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


■■■■M\: 


#u 


'■mm' 


*:j8. 


mm 


i^i  I '!;:'* 


^ri!!'^ 


'M 


liiii,,  I'A  '*,i  1 


pu  m 


.1 


i::f:'i|; 

-.i^i  '.   -Si!!: 


of  friendship ;  never  dreamt  of  such  a  thing 
as  an  independent  neutrality.  What  will  you 
do  then  ?  Eat  all  your  flour,  cod,  spars,  and 
potash,  or  ransom  your  captivated  countrymen 
at  fifteen  hundred  pounds  a  head,  and  lose  your 
produce?  Hamet  wants  your  alliance.  Give 
the  snarling  mastiff  a  hone,  and  while  he  is 
gnawing  it  you  can  do  as  you  please.  It  is 
certain,  that  your  unorganized  system  of  gov- 
ernment is  here  much  talked  of,  and  you  know 
the  consequence  of  these  matters  being  much 
talked  of.  Your  paltry  state  schisms  are  con* 
sidered  to  be  such  vulgar  errors,  as  a  people 
aiming  at  the  most  refined  system  of  govern- 
ment could  not  commit,  without  the  imputa- 
tion of  perfect  insanity.  But  adieu,  politics. 
Indeed,  I  know  not  what  humor  prompted  me 
to  offer  my  advice  to  you  in  this  way. 

"  If  the  incongruity  of  my  letter  besj)eaks  a 
perturbation  of  mind,  it  will  not  deceive  you. 
It  is  a  cloudy  day  with  me.  However,  my 
hobby  tells  me  it  will  be  fair  weather  to-mor- 
row ;  and  I  believe  it,  because  I  wish  it.  You 
will  probably  next  hear  from  me  in  France. 
In  the  mean  time,  let  me  make  sure  of  one 
circumstance,  and  if  to-morrow  bring  its  misfor- 
tunes, they  will  be  less  severe,  when  I  reflect 
on  having  said  to  those  I  know  will  believe 
me,  that    no    evil,  till  that  which  is  esteemed 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


191 


thing 
rill  you 
irs,  and 
itrymen 
se  your 
Give 
3    he    is 
.      It  is 
of  gov- 
3U  know- 
much 
^re   con- 
a  people 
govern- 
imputa- 
politics. 
ipted  me 

7- 
}si)eaks  a 

3ive  you. 

ever,  my 

r  to-mor- 

it.  You 
France, 
•e  of  one 
ts  misfor- 
i  I  reflect 
\    believe 

esteemed 


the  last  of  evils,  can  ever  obliterate,  or  even 
obscure,  that  lasting  affection  and  esteem,  which 
1  have  for  you  and  your  best  of  brothers  My 
other  remembrances  I  commit  to  your  care." 

He  remained  in  Cadiz  but  a  few  days  after 
this  letter  was  v/ritten,  when  he  somewhat 
unexpectedly  procured  a  passage  for  Brest,  on 
board  the  French  ship  Bourbon.  It  was  rare 
for  him  to  be  out  of  health,  but  in  Cadiz  he 
was  attacked  with  a  fever,  which  had  scarcely 
left  him  when  he  went  to  sea.  While  on 
board,  he  writes,  "  My  fever  was  in  conse- 
quence of  a  slight  cold  originally,  and  height- 
ened by  a  fit  of  uncommon  melancholy  ;  but  I 
am  getting  about  again,  and  excepting  a  slight 
debility,  and  some  of  Cook's  rheumatism  in  my 
bones,  I  am  well."  His  spirits  were  not  un- 
frequently  oppressed,  when  the  various  turns 
in  his  affairs  left  him  inactive,  with  precarious 
means  of  support,  and  uncertain  as  to  the  fu- 
ture ;  but  he  took  great  pains  to  conceal  the 
symptoms  of  gloom  from  his  friends.  They 
are  occasionally  discovered  in  his  letters,  rather 
from  his  forced  attempts  to  be  cheerful  and 
gay,  when  it  is  evident,  by  the  general  tenor 
of  his  thoughts,  that  his  heart  is  sad,  than  from 
any  formal  complaints  of  his  ill  fortune,  or  re- 
pinings  at  the  will  of  Providenae. 

He  was  now  visiting    FiUrope    in  the  prose- 


192 


AMERICAN      B  I  O  (J  II  A  P  :i  Y  . 


i-  ;''  J  '  S'' 


.;'-s- 


■ ''I  I 

!.i  111 


.  -Hi',  'm 


i  sp^'^ii 


iPii'i 


::^i  fir 

■a  n  'i'  f 


'■■' 


'III 


cution  of  what  he  deemed  a  noble  and  im- 
portant enterprise  ;  but  he  was  going  among 
strangers,  who  could  only  be  induced  to  listen 
to  his  proposals  by  motives  of  interest,  and 
whom  he  must  inspire  with  some  portion  of 
his  own  enthusiasm,  before  they  could  be  ex- 
pected to  favor  his  schemes,  or  even  compre- 
hend his  views.  The  task  thus  presented  to 
him  was  disheartening'.  But  however  despond- 
ency might  sometimes  give  a  hue  to  his 
thoughts,  he  never  suffered  it  to  weaken  his 
resolution,  or  repress  his  ardor.  The  great  ob- 
ject of  pursuit  was  never  lost  sight  of,  while 
his  way  to  its  accompUshment  was  lighted  by 
a  gleam  of  hope.  The  whole  force  of  his 
mind  was  now  bent  upon  a  voyage  of  trade 
and  discovery  to  the  Northwest  Coast.  He  was 
powerfully  impressed  with  the  belief,  that  such 
an  enterprise  would  redound  to  the  honor  of 
those  engaged  in  it,  and  confer  new  benefits 
upon  the  commercial  world ;  and  was  not  a 
little  chagrined  at  the  small  encouragement, 
which  his  strenuous  exertions  had  received  in 
his  own  country. 

In  this  state  of  mind,  it  is  no  wonder  that 
he  should  express  himself  in  the  following 
language  on  his  voyage  to  Brest.  "  I  saw  an 
English  gentleman  at  Cadiz,  who  assured  me 
that,  about    six    months  past,  a  ship  of  seven 


JOHN     LEDYARD, 


193 


hundred  tons,  commissioned  by  the  Empress 
of  Russia,  was  fitted  out  in  the  English  Thames 
on  a  voyage  to  the  back  parts  of  America ;  that 
she  was  armed,  and  commanded  by  a  Russian, 
and  that  some  of  lier  officers  were  those  who 
had  been  with  Cook.  You  see  the  business 
deserves  the  attention  I  have  endeavored,  and 
am  still  striving,  to  give  it ;  and  had  Morris 
not  shrunk  behind  a  trifling  obstruction,  1 
should  have  been  happy,  and  America  would 
this  moment  be  triumphantly  displaying  her 
flag  in  the  most  remote  and  beneficial  regions 
of  commerce.     I  am  tired  of  my  vexations." 

He  arrived,  after  a  short  passage,  at  Brest, 
and  set  oflT  by  land  through  Quimper  to  L'Ori- 
ent.  "I  am  now  at  Q,uimper,"  he  writes, 
"and  to-morrow,  if  my  horses  please,  I  will  be 
in  L'Orient.  '  What  will  you  do  there  ? '  The 
best  I  can.  Brest  is  a  naval  arsenal,  but  not 
so  respectable  as  I  had  imagined.  Monsieur 
de  Kferguelen,  the  great  navigator,  lives  within 
nine  miles  of  me  ;  but  a  Holland  Consu  has 
me  by  tb*^  button,  and  I  canaot  see  him.  The 
dialect  of  Bretagne  has  some  resemblance  both 
to  the  Irish  and  Welsh.  But  good  night ;  I 
must  sleep.  Tired  nature  will  have  it  so." 
From  Quimper  he  proceeded  to  L'Orient,  where 
he  immediately  began  to  put  his  aftairs  in 
train. 


i 


VOL.    XIV. 


13 


194 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


M 


i 

fill! 


;■'^lll,:!^;': 

,  -mi- 


ml' 


,!<>i:< 


.•Ji  ,1.4: 


■:3!?ijf:l 


'^v 


'hm: 


1  iil 


Y,r.i  •ii  >   ;».! 


■fi'ii 


•■'-'TiK?'' 


...jlsii 


T. 


The  letters  he  brought  with  him  from  re- 
spectable sources  procured  him  a  speedy  ac- 
quaintance with  gentlemen  of  the  first  char- 
acter in  the  place  ;  and  his  plan  was  received 
with  so  much  approbation,  that  within  twelve 
days  he  completed  a  negotiation  with  a  com- 
pany of  merchants,  and  a  ship  was  selected 
for  the  intended  voyage.  Mutual  engagements 
were  entered  into  by  the  parties,  and  every- 
thing seemed  to  wear  the  most  promising  us- 
pect.  So  unaccustomed  had  he  been  to  si.ch 
good  fortune,  that  he  could  hardly  realize  at 
first  the  happy  issue  of  events  as  they  then 
stood.  "  I  have  been  so  much  the  sport  of 
accident,"  said  he,  "  that  I  am  exceedingly 
suspicious.  It  is  true  that,  in  this  L'Orient 
negotiation,  I  have  guarded  every  avenue  to 
future  disappointment  with  all  possible  cau- 
tion ;  yet  this  head  I  wear  is  so  much  a  dupe 
to  my  heart,  and  at  other  times  my  heart  is  so 
bewildered  by  my  head,  that  in  matters  of 
business  I  have  not  much  confidence  in  either." 

He  then  speal^  of  the  point  to  which  the 
negotiation  had  been  brought,  and  adds,  "  But 
here  comes  a  but.  Ah,  these  huts  1  pray  Heaven 
they  may  not  but  the  modicum  of  brains  out 
of  my  head,  which  Morris  has  left  there.  The 
but  is  this.  I  have  arrived  so  late  in  the  sea- 
son, that  the  merchants  have  procrastinated  the 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


195 


equipment  until  next  summer,  and  requested 
me  to  stay  here  till  then,  allowing  me  genteel- 
ly for  that  purpose.  And  were  I  but  certain 
that  no  cruel  misfortune  would  eventually  hap- 
pen, I  should  be  quite  happy,  for  present  ap- 
pearances could  not  be  better.  Upon  any  con- 
sideration, it  is  for  my  interest  to  wait  the 
event ;  and  as  I  hourly  perceive  the  folly  of 
repining  at  a  disappointed  wish,  or,  indeed,  of 
suffering  what  I  may  happen  to  call  misfor- 
tune, whether  present  or  anticipated,  to  meet 
any  other  reception  from  me,  than  the  most 
undaunted  which  my  experience  can  enable 
me  to  meet  it  with,  I  am  determined  to  sit 
down,  not  despondingly,  dejectedly,  or  supine- 
ly; what  a  vile  row  of  adverbs!  but  contem- 
platively, cheerily,  and  industriously.  It  seems 
decreed  by  somewhat,  that  I  shall  be  driven 
about  the  world  in  a  most  untraversable  way  ; 
but  in  whatever  clime  I  may  alight,  my  ardent 
desire  is,  that  the  friendship  of  my  friends  may 
greet  me  well.  This  done,  I  have  drunk  my 
cordial,  and  there  is  not  a  nicher  in  France  ; 
and  only  in  America  one,  which  perfumed  the 
air  from  M.    to  Amboy  House." 

All  things  being  thus  arranged  to  his  mind, 
and  having  nothing  to  regret  but  the  procras- 
tination of  his  voyage,  which  he  perceived  to 
be  unavoidable,  he  resolved  to  spend  the  win- 


l'IW' 


^F 


I!:''  i 


196 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


."I 


l'?.li'iii 


■i.'teiji: 


■J  <!.•'!« 


i*i'!Pi' 


i 


i 


!;!■'  'j''t'''4|   . 
;',,_;    I  "I   i     Jill 

lEfi'    ■"'Jif'-.t'i'f  J'*v 


:^  i  i 


;'K! 


!<   |?3,,;i,i 


'i 


^•:1 


m 

if 


tcr  in  L'Orient,  and  be  m  readiness  to  com- 
mence preparations  the  moment  that  the  season 
would  admit.  It  was  now  October,  and  the 
opinion  of  the  merchants  was,  that  a  suitable 
vessel  could  not  be  obtained  and  properly  fitted 
out  before  the  succeeding  August.  Ten  months 
for  such  an  object  seemed  a  long  period  to 
Ledyard,  as  well  indeed  they  might.  But  ex- 
perience had  taiifijht  him  patience ;  and  the  fair 
prospects  held  Oiit  by  this  negotiation,  together 
with  the  consideration,  that,  by  leaving  France 
at  the  close  of  summer,  he  would  pass  round 
Cape  Horn  into  the  Pacific  Ocean  at  the  most 
favorable    season^  reconciled  him  to  the  delay. 

In  the  mean  time,  being  supplied  with  a 
liberal  income  by  the  mercantile  company  men- 
tioned above,  he  frequented  the  best  society  in 
L'Orient,  to  whom  his  extensive  knowledge  of 
the  world,  his  general  intelligence,  unpretend- 
ing manners,  and  frank  and  generous  temper, 
always  made  him  acceptable.  Nothing  occurred 
to  interrupt  his  happiness,  or  darken  his  hopes, 
during  the  four  months  that  followed,  except 
occasional  reflections  on  the  time  that  had 
been  lost  in  his  fruitless  endeavors,  and  the 
glory  that  others  were  reaping  in  the  field  of 
discovery,  which  he  ought  to  have  been  the 
first  to  explore. 

"I  wrote    you  last,"  says  he,   "that  a  Rus- 


sia 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


197 


sian  ship  had  been  sent  into  that  part  of  the 
vast  Pacific  Ocean.  Four  nights  ago,  I  saw 
a  Russian  gentleman  from  Petersburg,  who 
informed  me  of  two  ships  having  been  sent 
thither.  In  our  yesterday's  paper,  it  is  said 
that  the  ship  Seahorse,  belonging  to  the  Eng- 
lish Hudson's  Bay  Company,  had  made  a  voy- 
age thither,  and  returne.d  well.  You  see  what 
honorable  testimonies  daily  transpire  to  evince, 
that  I  am  no  otherwise  the  mad,  romantic, 
dreaming  Ledyard,  than  in  the  estimation  of 
those  who  thought  me  so.  The  flame  of  en- 
terprise, that  I  kindled  in  America,  terminated 
in  a  flash,  that  bespoke  little  foresight  or  res- 
olution in  my  patrons.  Perseverance  was  an 
effort  of  understanding,  which  twelve  rich  mer- 
chants were  incapable  of  making ;  and  whether 
I  now  succeed  or  not,  the  obstacles  I  have  sur- 
mounted, to  reach  my  present  attainment,  infer 
some  small  merit,  which  I  do  not  blush  to 
•own  among  my  private  pleasures.'' 

The  winter  soon  passed  away,  and  near  the 
ond  of  February  measures  began  to  be  taken 
for  equipping  the  vessel  for  sea.  It  was  in- 
tended, that  a  commission  from  the  King  should 
be  obtained  to  sail  on  a  voyage  of  discovery. 
Some  advantages,  it  was  supposed,  would  thus 
be  derived  to  the  mercantile  interests  of  the 
voyage,  as  the  vessel  would  be  clothed  with  a 


198 


AMERICAN     BIOORAPHT. 


■^k. 


^'!ii>l'il 


,: '  ■  il-i  I ! 


"'     'fell 

m  ma 


'Ik! 


fff'f. 


l,?l|! ' 


i 

a 


I 

(Hi  i 


'^  '^  iliiiiii 


public  character,  and  from  this  circumstance 
insure  a  greater  respect  from  any  foreigners 
she  might  fall  in  with,  as  well  as  enable  the 
owners  to  claim,  in  the  name  of  the  King  of 
France,  any  islands  or  unknown  regions,  that 
might  be  actually  discovered.  A  memorial,  and 
other  suitable  papers,  were  sent  to  the  King's 
ministers,  applying  for  such  a  privilege,  and  for 
letters  of  recommendation  to  the  European 
public  agents  residing  in  those  parts  of  the 
world,  at  which  the  vessel  would  probably 
touch. 

On  the  23d  of  February,  1785,  Ledyard 
wrote  to  his  brothers  from  L'Orient ;  "  My  af- 
fairs in  France  are  likely  to  prove  of  the 
greatest  honor  and  advantage  to  me.  I  have 
a  fine  ship  of  four  hundred  tons,  and  in  Au- 
gust next  I  expect  to  sail  on  another  voyage 
round  the  world,  at  the  end  of  which,  if  Heav- 
en is  propitious  to  me,  I  hope  to  see  you.  In 
the  mean  time,  may  the  God  of  nature  spread 
his  mantle  over  you  all.  If  I  never  see  you 
more,  it  shall  be  well ;  if  I  do,  it  shall  be  well ; 
so  be  happy  and  of  good  cheer."  From  this 
tone  of  his  feelings,  it  is  evident  that  his  heart 
was  light,  and  his  hopes  high.  Up  to  this 
point  all  things  had  proceeded  according  to 
his  expectations  and  wishes ;  he  had  passed  an 
agreeable  winter  in  a  social  ai^d    refined  circle 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


199 


u  instance 
foreigners 
lable  the 
King  of 
ions,  that 
orial,  and 
le  King's 
B,  and  for 
European 
ts   of  the 
probably- 
Led  yard 
"My  af- 
e    of    the 
I  have 
d    in  Au- 
iv  voyage 
if  Heav- 
you.     In 
ire  spread 
see   you 
be  well ; 
rom  this 
his  heart 
p  to    this 
ording   to 
passed  an 
ed  circle 


jf  friends,  and  he  began  now  to  enjoy  in  an- 
ticipation the  triumphs  of  his  zeal  and  perse- 
verance. 

But,  unfortunately,  this  flattering  vision  was 
soon  to  be  dissipated,  like  the  many  others, 
by  which  he  had  been  elated  and  deceived ; 
again  was  he  to  be  made,  in  his  own  phrase, 
"  the  sport  of  accident ;  "  again  was  the  bur- 
den of  a  cruel  disappointment  to  weigh  on  his 
spirits,  and  disturb  his  repose.  After  the  date 
of  the  above  letter,  we  hear  no  more  of  the 
L'Orient  negotiation,  except  that  it  failed. 
Whether  this  result,  sd  desolating  to  the  hopes 
of  our  adventurer,  was  produced  by  the  caprice 
of  the  merchants,  who  had  united  with  him 
in  the  undertaking,  or  by  any  sudden  change 
in  their  affairs,  which  took  from  them  the 
ability  of  fulfilling  their  contract,  or  by  the 
refusal  of  the  government  to  grant  such  a  com- 
mission as  was  expected,  or  by  all  these  com- 
bined, is  not  known.  It  is  enough  that  the 
voyage  was  entirely  abandoned ;  and  Lcdyard 
was  left  with  no  other  recompense  for  this 
new  vexation,  than  his  own  mortified  feelhigs, 
and  the  prospects  of  a  future  too  gloomy  even 
for  him  to  contemplate  unmoved. 

The  slender  stock  of  money,  with  which  he 
landed  in  Europe,  was   completely  exhausted ; 


I 


m 

!! 


11 


200 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


li 


'  !l! 

1*1 


1.1 1 


f.5i,.fl,^ 


M''!-'"/ ■/.  "ill!!":; 

*?'?  'IT'  1v'1 
^'*'.'  ■;  .■■H'ii'i::!'' 

'?:''^!ili|f|iil 
■''!  ;ii,'i  I'fl  >;;3i:,  1 


he  could  expect  no  more  from  the  L'Orient 
merchants,  nor  from  any  other  quarter  ;  and, 
what  afflicted  him  more  severely  than  all  the 
rest,  the  last  resort  for  carrying  into  effect  his 
darling  plan  of  northwestern  discovery  and 
trade,  had  been  tried  in  vain.  No  consolation 
remained  for  his  baffled  purposes  and  wasted 
zeal.  Yet  fifteen  years'  experience,  in  buflet- 
ing  the  rough  and  sometimes  perilous  current 
of  life,  had  taught  him  other  lessons  than  those 
of  despondency,  and  nerved  him  for  other  deeds 
than  a  tame  submission  to  the  control  of  un- 
toward circumstances.  HTis  bewildering  doubts, 
as  to  what  course  he  should  pursue,  detained 
him  a  short  time  in  L'Orient.  He  looked  to 
Parjs  as  the  theatre,  on  which  he  would  be 
most  likely  to  better  his  fortunes ;  and  after  his 
concerns  relative  to  the  voyage  were  closed, 
he  hastened  to  that  capital. 


JOHN     LEDVARD. 


201 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Meets  with  Mr.  Jefferson  at  Paris.  —  Project  of 
a  Voyage  to  the  Nurthivest  Coast  with  Paul 
Jones.  —  Jefferson  and  Lafayette.  —  Ledyjrd 
proposes  a  Journey  through  Russia  and  >Sibe- 
ria  to  Bering''s  Strait.  —  Observations  in  Paris. 
—  Proceeds  to  I^ondon. —  Sir  Joseph  Banks 
and,  other  Gentlemen  contribute  Funds  to  aid 
him  in  his   Travels. 


At  this  time  Mr.  Jefferson  was  minister 
from  the  United  States  at  the  court  of  France. 
That  patriot,  equally  ardent  in  the  love  of  sci- 
ence, and  friendly  to  every  enterprise  which 
had  for  its  object  the  improvement  of  his 
country,  received  Ledyard  with  great  kindness, 
and  approved  most  highly  his  design  of  au 
expedition  to  the*  Northwest  Coast  of  America. 
He  perceived  at  once  the  advantages  that 
would  flow  from  such  a  voyage,  not  merely 
in  its  immediate  mercantile  results,  but  in  its 
bearing  on  the  future  commerce  and  political 
interests  of  the  United  States.  No  part  of  that 
wide  region  had  then  been  explored,  nor  any 
.formal  possession  taken  of  it,  except  the  few 
points    at  which    Cook's  vessels    had    touched, 


I 

H 


1 

m 


IM 


202 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


,,■4 


mil  '-m^^  <> 


'•  ^:1!':^'?' 


,  i, '    -»    Jn  'f  I'l'h  I 

ill  if  I;:' i 

■T'  .'5,    '  'If  'I'l  i 


■■  ■  4?* 


and  others  where  the  Russians  possessed  small 
establishments  for  the  prosecution  of'th^  fui 
trade  with  the  Indians.  These  latter  were 
also  probably  confined  to  the  islands.  To  a 
statesman  like  Mr.  Jefferson  it  was  evident, 
that  a  large  portion  of  that  immense  country, 
separated  from  the  United  States  by  no  bar- 
rier of  nature,  vvould  eventually  be  embraced 
in  their  territory.  He  was  convinced  of  the 
propriety,  therefore,  of  its  being  explored  by  a 
citizen  of  the  United  States,  and  regretted  the 
failure  of  Ledyard's  attempts  in  his  own  coun- 
try to  engage  in  a  voyage  before  the  same 
thing  had  been  meditated  anywhere  else. 
These  views  were  deeply  impressed  on  the 
mind  of  Mr.  Jefferson,  and  in  them  originated 
the  journey  of  Lewis  and  Clark  over  land  to 
the  Pacific  Ocean,  twenty  years  afterwards, 
which  was  projected  by  him,  and  prosecuted 
under  his  auspices. 

Ledyard  had  not  been  many  days  in  Paris, 
before  he  became  acquainted  with  Paul  Jones, 
at  that  time  acting  under  a  commission  from 
the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  to  demand 
the  amount  of  certain  prizes,  which  he  had 
taken  during  the  war,  and  sent  into  French 
ports.  This  intrepid  adventurer,  being  now  un- 
employed   in   any    military  or    public    service, 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


203 


eagerly  seized  Ledyard's  idea,  and  an  arrange- 
ment was  closed,  by  which  they  agreed  to 
unite  in  an  expedition,  on  a  scale  somewhat 
larger  than  Ledyard  had  before  contemplated. 
Two  vessels  were  to  be  fitted  out,  and,  if  pos- 
sible, commissioned  by  the  King.  Jones  was 
to  use  his  influence  at  court,  to  persuade  the 
government  to  enlist  in  the  enterprise,  or  at 
least  to  furnish  the  vessels  and  the  requisite 
naval  armament.  If  this  could  not  be  effected, 
it  was  resolved  that  the  outfits'  should  be  re- 
duced within  the  limits  of  Jones's  private 
means,  and  the  two  partners  would  act  wholly 
on  their  own  responsibility  and  risk. 

If  it  should  be  found  necessary  to  pursue 
the  enterprise  on  their  private  account  alone, 
the  two  vessels  were  to  proceed  in  company 
to  the  Northwest  Coast,  and  commerKie  a  fac- 
tory there  under  the  American  flag.  The  first 
six  months  were  to  be  spent  in  collecting  furs, 
and  lookhig  out  for  a  suitable  spot  to  establish 
a  post,  either  on  the  main  land,  or  on  an  island. 
A  small  stockade  was  then  to  be  built,  in 
which  Ledyard  was  to  be  left  with  a  surgeon, 
an  assistant,  and  twenty  soldiers  ;  one  of  the 
vessels  was  to  be  despatched,  with  its  cargo 
of  furs,  under  the  command  of  Paul  Jones,  to 
China,  while  the  other  was  to  remain  in  order 
to   facilitate   the    collecting    of   another    cargo 


204 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


.If 


■#1  '''li'v'. 


I  IT  yi/if  :> 


"=■':    •■:,   'ill' 
,i(.'3i,'    •■';■  ■'■■i^i 


1 

a^' 


■    '  "      '  '■■/  ■  (Is   t' 
i   S'il 

W  mm 

"yi  ■!  i.:is  r 

>'    f  '"i  :-  \ph; 

%^  l';:|  ^3  :■'*(;■ 


during  his  absence.  Jones  was  to  return  with 
both  the  vessels  to  China,  sell  their  cargoes  of 
furs,  load  them  with  silks  and  teas,  and  con- 
tinue his  voyage  round  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope  to  Europe,  or  the  United  States.  ^  Ho 
was  then  to  replenish  his  vessels  with  suitable 
articles  for  traffic  with  the  Indians,  and  pro- 
ceed as  expeditiously  as  possible  round  Cape 
Horn,  to  the  point  of  his  departure  in  the 
Northern  Pacific.  Meantime  Ledyard  and  his 
party  were  to  employ  themselves  in  purchasing 
furs,  cultivating  a  good  understanding  with  the 
natives,  and  making  such  discoveries  on  the 
coast,  as  their  situation  would  allow.  Ledyard 
supposed  he  should  be  absent  four  or  five 
•years,  and  perhaps  six  or  seven,* 

Here  was  a  scheme,  that  might  give  full 
scope  to  the  imagination  of  the  two  heroes  by 
whom  it  had  ^een  conceived,  presenting  at 
once  the    prospect  of   hazard,  adventure,  fame. 


*  A  voyage  from  C:;nton  to  the  Northwest  Coast,  and 
back  to  that  port,  for  purposes  similar  to  thoSe  meditated 
by  Ledyard  and  Paul  Jones,  M'as  performed  fourteen  years 
afterwards  by  Captain  Richard  J.  Cleaveland.  Whoever 
would  understand  the  difficulties  and  dangers  of  such  an 
enterpiise,  at  that  time,  will  find  them  explained  in  a  brief 
account  of  Captain  Cleaveland's  voyage,  contained  in  the 
North  American  Review  for  October,  1827 ;  and  also, 
more  fully,  in  his  very  interesting  "  Narrative  of  Voyages 
and  Commercial  Enterprises,"  since  published. 


•II 


JOHN     L  E  D  Y  A  R  D . 


20 


o 


w  with 
joes  of 
i    con- 
Good 
3.  .   He 
suitable 
id    pro- 
id  Cape 

in  the 
and  his 
rchasing 
kvith  the 

on  the 
Ledyard 

or    five 

;ive  full 
eroes  by 
iting  at 
e,  fame, 

Coast,  and 

meditated 
:teen  years 

Whoever 
if  such  an 

in  a  brief 
led  in  the 

and  also, 
jf  Voyagf.'S 


and  profit.  Tiiey  dwelt  upon  it  with  com- 
placency, and  so  much  was  Jones  taken  with 
it,  that  he  advanced  money  to  Ledyard,  with 
which  to  purchase  a  part  of  the  cargo  for  the 
outfit,  even  before  he  had  applied  to  the  gov- 
ernment for  aid,  being  determined  to  prosecute 
it  at  his  own  risk  if  he  failed  in  that  quarter. 

But  at  this  moment,  his  affairs  in  regard  to 
the  prize-money  assumed  a  crisis,  which  com- 
pelled him  to  go  from  Paris  to  L'Orient, 
where  he  was  detained  nearly  three  months ; 
and  although  he  was  ultimately  successful, 
yet  his  zeal  for  this  new  scheme  gradually 
cooled  down,  as  he  probably  found  that  the 
government  would  do  nothing  in  the  matter, 
and  that  his  private  fortune  was  not  adequate 
to  so  expensive  an  undertaking.  At  any  rate, 
it  fell  through,  and  after  four  or  five  months 
of  suspense',  Ledyard  had  the  renewed  mortifi- 
cation of  another  disappointment,  and  of  seeing 
his  irdent  wishes  no  nearer  their  accomplish- 
ment, than  when  he  left  L'Orient.  The  only 
advantage  he  had  derived  from  his  intercourse 
with  the  Chevaher,  was  an  allowance  of  money 
sufficient  for  his  maintenance,  which  Jones  had 
stipulated  at  the  commencement  of  the  nego- 
tiation, and   which  he  had  promptly  paid. 

Just  at  this  time  Mr.  Lamb,  the  diplomatic 
agent  appointed  by  the  Congress  of  the  United 


0 


206 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


i    M^^ 


M-\ 


Mi  ../ii|,,  , ., 


m 


%4- 


iffci 


ft  I 


;'=Tt'^.;": 


■■'''     '■'#' 

'■lil'ii,   li  i  i  tilll?  ill  I 

.^,:s,i!^:::,:l 

'I  ,  ■'■■''". .  r 
•   '-■•.Ik','! 


States  to  treat  with  the  Dey  of  Algiers,  ar- 
rived in  Paris.  Ledyard  met  him  occasionally 
at  Mr.  Jefferson's,  took  an  interest  in  his  mis- 
sion, and  had  serious  thoughts  of  joining  him 
and  going  to  Africa,  but  for  wliat  specific  pur- 
pose is  not  told.  The  hngering  desire,  how- 
ever, of  still  being  able  to  conquer  the  fatality 
of  circumstances,  which  had  hitherto  impeded 
his  progress  to  glory,  in  the  course  his  fancy 
had  pictured  to  him,  continued  to  sustain  him 
with  the  hope  of  a  better  turn  of  fortune,  and 
to  urge  him  forward  to  untried  expedients. 

In  Paris  he  associated  with  several  Ameri- 
cans, who  approved  and  encouraged  his  ardor, 
and  whose  society  afforded  him  consolation  in 
the  midst  of  his  misfortunes,  but  who  were 
not  in  a  condition  to  promote  his  wishes,  or 
remove  his  embarrassments.  The  question, 
what  was  to  be  done,  which  he  had  so  often 
been  compelled  to  ask  himself,  in  cases  of  sim- 
ilar extremity,  now  recurred  anew,  and  with  as 
small  a  prospect  as  ever  of  its  being  answered 
in  such  a  manner,  as  to  lull  his  apprehensions, 
or  relieve  his  anxiety.  He  determined  to  ad- 
venture one  effort  more,  and  submit  the  same 
proposition  to  a  mercantile  company  in  Paris, 
which  he  had  done  in  L'Orient.  Some  prog- 
ress was  made  in  an  attempt  to  organize  such 
a  company,  but  it  was  never  matured.     It  was 


JOHN     LEDTARO. 


207 


his  intention,  after  he  had  visited  the  coast, 
and  procured  a  full  cargo  of  furs,  to  despatch 
the  vessel  to  China  under  proper  officers,  and 
return  himself  across  the  continent  to  ihe  Uni- 
ted States,  thus  accomplishing  the  double  ob- 
ject of  a  lucrative  voyage,  and  a  tour  of  dis- 
covery through  an  unexplored  wilderness  of 
four  thousand  miles  in  extent.  Afterwards  he 
would  join  the  expedition  in  the  company's 
service,  either  in  France,  or  any  other  part  of 
the  world,  as  circumstances  might  dictate. 
Such  was  the  compass  of  his  desires ;  yet  he 
would  have  relinquished  the  idea  of  this  ex- 
ploratory tour,  and  rejoiced  to  engage  in  a  voy- 
age merely  for  commercial  ends,  if  even  that 
could  have  been  effected. 

Several  months  were  passed  in  unavailing 
efforts  to  conquer  obstacles,  which  seemed  to 
thicken  as  he  advanced,  and  in  vainly  striving 
to  enlighten  ignorance  and  overcome  prejudice, 
till  his  perseverance  could  hold  out  no  longer, 
and  he  was  forced  to  abandon  the  thought  of 
a  voyage  by  sea  to  the  Northwest  Coast,  either 
for  trade  or  discovery.  He  continued  in  Pars, 
but  felt  himself,  as  he  really  was,  a  wanderer 
without  employment  or  motive.  With  Mr. 
Jefferson,  the  Marquis  de  Lafayette,  Mr.  Bar- 
clay, the  American  Consul,  and  other  gentle- 
men of  character  and  consequence,  he  was  on 
terms  of  intimacy. 


Hi 


208 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


^■^',■*flll 

'■■■■.■  %•'  V. 


4im 


^  'H'LlLjlf'l'l 


*i. 


In  this  society,  and  enjoying  the  amusemems 
afforded  in  the  capital  of  France,  his  time 
passed  away  agreeably  enough,  and  in  some  of 
his  letters  he  speaks  of  his  happiness  ;  yet  he 
was  far  from  being  satisfied ;  he  suffered  under 
the  pressure  of  want  and  a  corroding  sense  of 
dependence  ;  and  occasionally  his  finances  were 
at  so  low  an  ebb,  that  he  was  compelled,  how- 
ever reluctantly,  to  be  a  pensioner  on  the  boun- 
ty of  his  friends.  So  disinterested  were  his 
aims,  however,  and  so  entirely  did  he  sacrifice 
every  selfish  consideration  in  prosecuting  them, 
so  benevolent  was  his  disposition,  and  so  en- 
larged his  views  of  serving  mankind,  that  no 
one  considered  favors  of  this  sort  in  t?ie  light 
of  obligations  conferred,  nor  so  much  acts  of 
charity,  as  a  ju«t  tribute  to  the  singleness  of 
his  heart,  the  generosity  of  his  purposes,  and 
the  effective  warmth  of  his  zeal. 

A  few  miscellaneous  extracts  from  his  let- 
ters, written  during  the  first  months  of  his  res- 
idence in  Paris,  may  properly  come  in  here. 
They  will  give  some  insight  into  his  occupa- 
tions, as  well  as  his  habit  of  observing  events 
and  objects  in  the  great  world  around  him. 

"  Paris  is  situated  in  an  extended  plain, 
rising  on  all  sides  into  gradual  elevations,  and 
some  little  hills  happily  interspersed  in  the  bor- 
ders of   its  horizon.      Its  extent,   viewed   from 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


209 


the  tower  of  Notre  Dame,  appeared  to  me  less 
than  London,  though  it  must  be  larger.  The 
piibhc  buildings  are  numerous,  and  some  of 
them  magnificent.  Paris  is  the  centre  of 
France,  and  its  centre  is  the  Palais  Royal,  the 
resort  of  the  greatest  virtues  and  the  greatest 
vices  of  such  a  kingdom.  It  is  France  in 
miniature,  and  no  friend  to  France  should  ever 
see  it.  The  '  Tuileries  afford  a  consummate 
display  of  artificial  elegance  and  grandeur ;  the 
gardens  of  the  Luxembourg  are  much  inferior. 
The  Boulevards  were  originally  fortifications, 
and  they  now  form  a  broad  way  that  surrounds 
the  city,  separating  it  from  the  suburbs.  It  is 
well  lined  with  fine  umbrageous  elms  on  each 
side,  forming  a  beautiful  course  for  coaches 
and  horsemen ;  but  the  farmers-general,  to  pre- 
vent illicit  trade,  are  walling  it  in,  at  the  ex- 
pense of  a  thousand  lamentations  of  the  Paris- 
ians, and  several  millions,  of  livres.  I  have 
been  once  at  the  King's  Library.  Papa  Frank- 
lin, as  the  French  here  call  him,  is  among  a 
iHimber  of  statues  that  I  ."^aw.  The  bust  of 
Paul  Jones  is  also  there.  Did  you  ever  know, 
that  Captain  Jones  was  two  or  three  nights 
successively  crowned  witli  laurels,  at  the  great 
Opera  House  in  Paris,  after  the  action  between 
the  Bon  Homme  Richard  and  the  Scrapis  1 
"  I  find  at  our  minister's   table   between    fif- 

VOL.    XIV.  14 


^^m 

i ' ' 

1 

m 

-j-iiit^ 

m 

' 

iWi' 

'  mk  '■  ' 

.  '^M 

!:< 


t'ii,. 


^S    .-';i-l^'fc!;*' 


m  m'4'K' 


210 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


teen  and  twenty  Americans,  inclusive  of  two 
or  three  ladies.  It  is  very  remarkable,  that  we 
are  neither  despised  nor  envied  for  our  love 
of  liberty^  but  very  often  caressed.  I  was  yes- 
terday at  "Versailles.  It  was  the  feast  of  St. 
Louis;  but  I  never  feasted  so  ill  in  my  life  as 
at  the  hotel  where  I  dined,  and  never  paid  so 
dear  for  a  dinner.  I  was  too  late  to  see  the 
procession  of  the  King  and  dueen,  but  I  was 
little  disappointed  on  that  account,  as  I  had 
already  seen  those  bawbles.  The  King  I  saw 
a  fortnight  before  to  very  great  advantage, 
being  near  to  him  while  he  was  shooting  par- 
tridges in  the  fields.  He  was  dressed  in  com- 
mon mosquito  trousers,  a  short  linen  frock, 
and  an  old  laced  hat  without  a  cockade.  He 
had  an  easy,  gentlemanly  appearance ;  and  had 
it  not  been  for  his  few  attendants,  I  should 
have  taken  him  for  the  captain  of  a  merchant 
ship,  amus'ng  himself  in  the  field.  The  Pal- 
ace at  Versailles,  and  its  gardens,  are  an  orna- 
ment to  the  face  of  the  globe.  It  was  dirty 
weather  I  wore  boots,  and  consequently  was 
prohibited  from  visiting  the  galleries.  I  was 
in  company  with  our  Mr.  Barclay,  Colonel 
Franks  of  the  American  army,  a  young  Vir- 
ginian, and  an  English  sea  officer.  Pranks  was 
booted  too  ;  but  though  honest  Tom  Barclay 
was  not,   he    had  no   bag    on,  and  they   were 


■  i  .,- 


''..[.'i'-n'  «*•■ 


i         4 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


211 


of  two 
that  we 
ur  love 
as  yes- 

of  St. 
'■•life  as 
paid  so 
see  the 
;  I  was 
5  I  had 
;  I  saw 
rantage, 
ng  par- 
II  com- 

frock, 
le.  He 
iiid  had 

should 
lerchant 
le  Pal- 
n  orna- 
is  dirty 
tly  was 

I  was 
Colonel 
ng  Vir- 
iks  was 
Barclay 
y   were 


dismissed  also ;  so  that  boots  on,  and  bags  off, 
are  sad  recommendations  at  the  Court  of  Ver- 
sailles. 

"If  the  two  Fitzhughs  remain  in  town  a 
week  longer,  you  shall  have  a  week's  detail. 
They  dine  with  me  to-day  in  my  chamber, 
together  with  our  worthy  Consul  Barclay,  and 
that  lump  of  universality,  Colonel  Franks.  But 
such  a  set  of  moneyless  rascals  have  never 
appeared  since  the  epoch  of  the  happy  villain 
Falstaff.  I  have  but  five  French  crowns  in 
the  world ;  Franks  has  not  a  sol ;  and  the 
Fitzhughs  cannot  get  their  tobacco  money. 

"  Mr.  Jefferson  is  an  able  minister,  and  our 
country  may  repose  a  confidence  in  him  equal 
to  their  best  wishes.  Whether  in  public  or 
private,  he  is  in  every  word  and  every  action 
the  representative  of  a  young,  vigorous,  and 
determined  state.  His  only  competitors  here, 
even  in  political  fame,  are  Vergennes  and  La- 
fayette. In  other  accomplishments  he  stands 
alone.  The  Marquis  de  Lafayette  is  one  of 
the  most  growing  characters  in  this  kingdom. 
He  has  planted  a  tree  in  America,  and  sits 
under  its  shade  at  Versailles.  He  is  now  at 
the  court  of  old  Frederick.  I  am  sure,  that 
yon  could  not  yourself  have  manifested  more 
alacrity  to  serve  me,  than  he  has  done.  The 
Marquis  is  a  warm  friend  to  America.     It  will 


m 


*i| 


fl 


■  -ii  ' 


212 


AiMERICAN      BIOGRAPHY. 


iff' 


.it: 


i.h;; 


4ii 


II,  1*1 ' 


.^i' 


-Jill*      rj||i: 


*,    !' 

|i''' 


n.] 


be  difficult  for  any  subsequent  plenipotentiary 
to  have  as  much  personal  influence  in  France, 
as  Dr.  Franklin  had;  it  will  at  least  be  so,  till 
the  causes,  which  created  that  venerable  patri- 
ot's ascendency,  shall  become  less  recent  in  the 
minds  of  the  people.  I  had  the  pleasure  of 
being  but  once  at  his  house,  before  his  depart- 
ure, and  although  bent  down  with  age  and 
infirmities,  the  excellent  old  man  exhibited  all 
the  good  cheer  of  health,  the  gay  philosopher, 
and  the  kindness  of  a  friendly  countryman." 

"  It  has  been  a  holiday  to-day ;  the  nativ- 
ity of  the  Virgin  Mary.  My  friend,  the  Abbe 
d'Aubrey,  tells  me  that  they  have  but  eighty- 
two  holidays  in  the  year,  which  are  publicly 
regarded ;  but  this  is  a  mistake  ;  they  have 
more.  We  both  agree,  that  tlxCy  riave  eighty- 
two  less  than  they  formerly  had.  There  are 
certainly  a  hundred  days  in  this  city  every 
yeai-,  whereon  all  the  shops  are  shut,  and  there 
is  a  general  suspension  of  business ;  for  the 
good  policy  of  which,  let  them  look  to  it. 
You  will  hear  in  your  papers  of  an  aftair  be- 
tween a  certain  Cardinal  and  the  dueen  of 
France.  It  has  been  the  topic  of  conversation 
here  for  thirty  days ;  and  forty  fools,  that  have 
expressed  themselves  too  freely  in  the  matter 
tor  the  police,  are  already  in  the  Bastile.  We 
have,  news    to-day,    that    the    King    will    have 


1 


JOHN      L  E  D  Y  A  R  D . 


213 


him  tried  by  the  Parliament,  and  lias  written 
to  that  dying  meteor,  the  Pope,  not  to  meddle 
in  the  business." 

"  I  was  late  home  yesterday  evening  from 
the  feast  of  St.  Cloud,  held  at  a  little  town  of 
that  name  on  the  bank  of  the  Seine.  It  is 
particularly  remarkable  for  having  the  dueen's 
Gardens,  in  it,  and  a  house  for  the  Queen, 
called  a  Palace.  The  chief  circumstance,  which 
renders  the  village  a  place  of  curiosity  to  stran- 
gers, is  the  waterworks,  which,  after  the  labor 
of  many  years  and  vast  expense,  exhibit  a  sick- 
ly cascade,  and  three  jtts  d^eau,  or  fountains, 
that  cast  water  into  the  air.  The  largest  of 
these  throws  out  a  column  as  big  as  a  man's 
arm,  which  rises  about  thirty  yards.  In  the 
evening  I  entered  a  part  of  the  gardens,  where 
Evonie  fireworks  were  played  off.  The  tickets 
were  twenty-four  sols.  The  fireworks  were 
very  few,  but  good.  This  little  rustic  enter- 
tainment of  the  Queen's  was,  with  great  pro- 
priety, attended  with  very  little  parade  about 
her  person.  It  was  a  mere  rural  revel,  and 
never  before  did  I  see  majesty  and  tag-rag  so 
philosophically  blended  ;  a  few  country  fiddlers 
scraping,  and  Kate  of  the  mill  tripping  it  with 
Dick  of  the  vineyard.  ^ 

"  Thus  you  see  how  some  few  of  my  days 
pass   away.      I  see  a  great   deal,  and   think  a 


k? 


:i  "■« 


214 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


i 


I 

i  e ' 

m 
ml 

i'  V' 


m 


[  .^;  2 


rv  Jim 

IIP' 


s-,:ij'i  '■•X 

A.i  i-'-A   Ml!  ■._  Hit,/ 


great  deal,  but  derive  little  pleasure  from  either, 
because  I  am  forced  into  both,  and  am  alone 
in  both." 

By  these  methods  he  endeavored  to  amuse 
himself,  and  forget  his  favorite  scheme  of  trav- 
ersing the  Western  Continent,  and  ascertain- 
ing its  physical  character  and  commercial  re- 
sources. But  this  was  not  possible ;  it  had 
taken  too  strong  a  hold  of  him  to  admit  of 
being  driven  altogether  from  his  mind.  As 
fate  seemed  to  throw  difficulties  insurmounta- 
ble in  the  way  of  a  passage  by  sea,  he  be- 
thought himself  of  the  only  remaining  expedi- 
ent, by  which  a  part  of  his  original  design 
might  be  carried  into  execution  ;  and  tliat  was, 
to  travel  by  land  through  the  northern  regions 
of  Europe  and  Asia,  cross  over  Bering's  Strait 
to  the  American  continent,  and  pursue  his 
route  thence  down  the  coast,  and  to  the  inte- 
rior, in.  such  a  manner  as  the  exigencies  of  his 
condition  might  point  ont  to  him  when  on 
the  spot. 

The  first  object  requiring  attention,  was  to 
gain  permission  of  the  Empress  of  Russia  to 
pass  through  her  immense  territories  to  Kamts- 
chatka.  Mr.  Jefferson,  who  heartily  approved 
the  project,  interested  himself  in  this  prelimi- 
nary measure,  and  applied  to  M.  de  Simoulin, 
minister    plenipotentiary    from    Russia    at    the 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


215 


court  of  France,  and  especially  to  the  Baron 
de  Grimm,  minister  from  Saxe-Gotha  at  the 
same  court.  Grimm  was  a  correspondent  and 
private  agent  of  the  Empress,  and  would  be 
likely  to  have  as  much  influence  with  her  in 
a  matter  of  this  sort,  as  her  public  minister. 
Both  these  gentlemen  very  readily  acceded  to 
Mr.  Jefferson's  request,  and  made  in  his  name 
a  direct  application  to  the  Empress,  soliciting 
permission  for  Ledyard,  in  the  character  of  an 
American  citizen,  to  travel  through  her  domin- 
ions. As  haste  is  'not  a  characteristic  of  trans- 
actions of  this  sort  with  crowned  heads,  the 
impatient  traveller  resolved  to  busy  himself  in 
the  best  manner  he  could,  at  least  till  a  reason- 
able time  sliould  elapse  for  a  reply.  In  the 
interim  he  retired  to  St.  Germain,  wiiere  he 
afterwards  commonly  resided  during  his  stay 
in  France.  The  letter,  which  contains  the  fol- 
lowing passages,  is  dated  at  St.  Germain,  on 
the  8th  of  April,  1786. 

"  If  Congress  should  yet  be  at  New  York, 
this  will  be  delivered  to  you  by  my  friend, 
and  almost  every  body's  friend.  Colonel  Hum- 
phreys, whom  you  knew  in  days  of  yore.  He 
is  secretary  to  our  legation  at  the  court  of 
France,  has  a  good  head  and  a  good  heart ; 
but  his  hobby  is  poetry,  and  as  the  English 
reviewers  allow  him  merit  therein,  I  may  very 


m 


'  ■>■■  '^''^ft  &i 

■  I    ■      'i  -"'I 


.■'■'* 


m  m 


ll-! 


^. 


'3, 
VI 


216 


A  .M  E  R  1  C  A  N     B  1  O  G  R  A  V  tl  Y  , 


safely  venture  to  do  it.  He  is  a  friendly,  good 
soul,  a  sincere  Yankee,  and  &o  affectionately 
fond  of  his  country^  that  to  be  in  his  society 
here  is  at  least  as  good  to  me  as  a  dream  of 
being  at  home.  I  imagine  he  takes  despatches, 
but  as  we  are  republicans  a  little  more  poi 
ished  than  on  your  side  of  the  water,  we  never 
presume  to  ask  impertinent  questions. 

"  You  have  doubtless  by  this  time  received 
my  letters  by  Mr.  Barrett.  Your  hearing  from 
me  so  often  by  thosf;  who  intimately  know 
my  situation,  and  who  are  so  mucii  my  friends, 
is  a  liappy  circumstance ;  but  I  would  freely 
have  relinquished  the  pleasur*^,  which  I  take 
in  writing  this  letter,  to  ha/e  been  where  I 
supposed  I  should  be  when  I  wrote  you  last. 
But  soon  after  the  departure  of  Mr.  Barrett, 
our  minister,  the  Russian  minister,  and  the 
Marquis  de  Lafayette,  took  it  into  their  heads, 
that  I  should  not  go  directly  to  Petersburg, 
but  wait  till  I  was  sent  for,  which  is  the  oc- 
casion of  my  being  here  to  write  you  at  this 
lime.  You  see  that  I  have  so  many  friends, 
that  I  cannot  do  just  as  I  please. 

"  I  am  very  well  in  health.  A  gracious 
Providence,  and  the  Indian  corn  diet  of  my 
childiiood,  added  to  the  robust  scenes  I  have 
since  passed  through,  have  left  me,  at  the  same 
age  at  which  my  father  died.   '  healthy,  active,  ' 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


217 


vigorous,  and  strong.'*  1  am  for  a  few  weeks 
at  the  little  town  where  my  letter  is  dated, 
and  as  I  live  upon  the  skirt  of  a  royal  forest, 
I  am  every  day  in  it,  and  it  is  usual  for  me 
to  run  two  miles  an  end  and  return.  1  am 
like  one  of  Swift's  Houyhnhnms.  Ask  Hum- 
phreys if  I  did  not  walk  into  Paris  last  week, 
and  return  to  dine  with  Madam  Barclay  the 
same  morning,  a  distance  equal,  at  least,  to 
twenty-four  of  our  miles.  But  this  is  not  the 
work  of  Nature  ;  she  made  me  a  voluptuous, 
pensive  animal,  intended  for  the  tranquil  scenes 
of  domestic  life,  for  ease  and  contemplation, 
and  a  thousand  other  fine  soft  matters,  that 
I  have  thought  nothing  about  since  I  was  in 
love  with  R.  E.  of  Stonington. 

'•  What  fate  intends  further,  I  lea\e  to  fate  ; 
but  it  is  very  certain,  that  there  has  ever  been 
a  great  difference  between  the  manner  of  life 
I  have  actually  led,  and  that  which  I  should 
have  chosen ;  and  this  is  not  to  be  attributed 
more,  perhaps,  to  the  irregular  incidents  that 
have  alternately  caressed  and  insulted  me,  than 
to  the  irregularity  of  my  genius.  Tom  Bar- 
clay, our  Gcnsnl,  who  knows  mankind  and  me 
very  well,  tells  me  that  he  never  saw  such  a 
medley   "s  in  me.      The  Virginian    gentlemen 

*  A  line  from  his  father's   tombstone;  ho  died  at  the 
age  of  thirty-five. 


il 


B^ 


I; 

k 


ill 


...     f  Jl..',, 


.Si 


i: 


i^-'?i 


i 


ii    '1    . 


218 


AMERICAN     BIOGHAt'HT. 


here  call  me  Oliver  Cromwell,  and  say,  that, 
like  him,  I  shall  be  '  damned  to  fame ;  '  but  I 
have  never  dared  to  prophesy,  however,  that  it 
would  be  by  a  Virginian  poet. 

"I  every  hour  expect  my  summons  to  Pe- 
tersburg from  the  Russian  minister.  I  shall 
have  a  delightful  season  to  pass  through  Ger- 
many, though  it  does  not  suit  my  tour  well. 
I  shall  los3  a  season  by  it.  I  am  not  certain 
about  the  result  of  this  business,  and  shall  not 
be  perfecUy  at  ease,  till  I  have  been  introduced 
to  the  Empress." 

From  a  remark  above,  it  may  be  inferred, 
that  Ledyard  wished  to  begin  his  journey  to 
Petersburg  before  any  intelligence  had  been 
received  by  the  Russian  minister  in  reply  to 
his  application.  His  principal  motive  doubtless 
was,  that  he  might  take  advantage  of  the  sea- 
son, and  reach  Siberia  so  far  in  anticipation 
of  the  severest  parts  of  the  winter,  as  not  to 
be  blocked  up  for  several  months  by  the  snows 
in  that  frigid  region.  His  advisers  considered 
such  a  step  ill  judged,  inasmuch  as  a  formal 
petition  haa  ueen  sent  to  the  Empress,  and  it 
would  evince  a  want  of  pnper  respect  to  set 
out  on  the  journey  before  hur  answer  had 
been  returned,  however  strong  might  be  the 
probability  that  her  consent  would  be  granted. 
These  points  of  etiquette  were  overlooked  by 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


219 


the  traveller,  in  his  eagerness  to  be  on  the 
road ;  and  he  moreover  thought  the  business 
might  as  well  be  settled  at  the  court  of  the 
Empress  in  Petersburg,  as  through  her  minis- 
ter in  Paris.  The  event  proved  his  impres- 
sions not  to  be  ill  founded.  His  forebodings 
were  verified,  for  he  was  kept  in  daily  expec- 
tation for  more  than  five  months,  without  re- 
ceiving an  answer,  or  hearing  anything  on  the 
subject  either  from  M.  de  Simoulin,  or  the . 
liaron  de  Grimm.  His  last  letter  from  France 
is  a  very  long  one,  dated  at  St.  Germain,  the 
8th  of  August,  1786.  It  touches  on  a  great 
variety  of  topics,  and  was  written  at  different 
times. 

"  Since  I  wrote  to  you  by  Colonel  Hum- 
phreys," says  he  to  his  friend,  "  I  have  been 
at  St.  Germain,  waiting  the  issue  of  my  affair 
at  Pet<Jrsburg.  You  wonder  by  what  means 
I  ex-it,  having  brought  with  me  to  Paris,  this 
timt  <o;^Ive  months,  only  three  louis  d'ors. 
Ask  /.  e  v^t.nsuls.  consuls,  ministers,  and  pleni- 
potentiaries, all  of  whom  have  been  tributary 
to  me.  You  think  I  joke.  No  ;  upon  rny 
honor,  and  however  irreconcilable  to  my  tem- 
per, disposition,  and  education,  it  is  nevertheless 
stiictly  true.  Every  day  of  my  life,  my  dear 
rn.  sin,  is  a  day  of  expectation,  and  consequent- 
ly   •  day  of  disappointment.     Whether  I  shall 


220 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


m 


wf  ■  ■'■'  ''■■ 


,v.^i:i; : 


r'll     ;.:i:i-    ."',;i 


t  mm 


'm 


i-tt: 


'1 . 


si's    :!?i.;'-U' 


have  a  morsel  of  bread  to  eat  at  the  end  of 
two  months,  is  as  much  an  uncertainty,  as  it 
was  fourteen  months  ago,  and  not  more  so. 
The  near  approach,  that  I  have  so  often  made 
to  each  extreme  of  happiness  and  distress, 
without  absolutely  entering  into  either,  has 
rendered  me  so  hardy,  that  I  can  meet  either 
with  composu  f 

"  Permit  me  il.  .'elate  to  you  an  incident. 
About  a  fortnight  ago,  Sir  James  Hall,  an  Eng- 
lish gentleman,  on  his  way  from  Paris  to  Cher- 
bourg, stopped  his  coach  at  our' door,  and  came 
up  t-^  my  chamber.  I  was  in  bed  at  six  o'clock 
in  the  morning  ;  but,  having  flung  on  my  robe 
de  chambre,  I  met  him  at  the  door  of  the  an- 
techamber. I  was  glad  to  see  him,  but  sur- 
prised. He  observed,  that  he  had  endeavored 
to  make  up  his  opinion  of  me,  with  as  mucn 
exactness  as  possible,  and  concluded  that  no 
kind  of  visit  whatever  would  surprise  me.  I 
could  do  no  otherwise  than  remark,  that  his 
opinion  surprised  me  at  least,  and  the  conver- 
sation took  another  turn.  In  walking  across 
the  chamber,  he  laughingly  put  his  hand  on  a 
six  livre  piece  and  a  louis  d'or,  that  lay  on 
my  table,  and,  with  a  half  stifled  blush,  asked 
me  how  I  was  in  the  money  way.  Blushes 
commonly  beget  blushes,  and  I  blushed  partly 
because   he  did,  and  partly  on   other  accounts. 


'j;.,.i 


JOHN     L  E  D  Y  A  R  D  . 


221 


•If  fifteen  guineas,'  said  he,  interrupting  the 
answer  he  had  demanded,  '  will  be  of  any 
service  to  you,  there  they  are  ; '  and  he  put 
them  on  the  table.  '  I  am  a  traveller  myself, 
and  though  I  have  some  fortune  to  support 
my  travels,  yet  I  have  been  so  situated  as  to 
want  money,  which  you  ought  not  to  do. 
You  have  my  address  in  London.'  He  then 
wished  me  a  good  morning  and  left  me. 

"  This  gentleman  was  a  total  stranger  to  the 
situation  of  my  finances,  and  one  that  I  had 
by  mere  accident  met  at  an  ordinary  in  Paris. 
We  had  conversed  together  several  times,  and 
he  once  sent  his  carriage  for  me  to  dine  with 
him.  I  found  him  handsomely  lodged  in  the 
best  Fauxbourg  in  the  city.  Two  members 
of  the  British  House  of  Commons,  two  lords, 
Beaumarchais,  and  several  members  of  the 
Royal  Academy,  were  at  his  'table.  He  had 
seen  me  two  or  three  times  after  that,  and  al- 
ways expressed  the  highest  opinion  of  the  tour 
T  had  determined  to  make,  and  said  he  would, 
as  a  citizen  of  the  world,  do  anything  in  his 
power  to  promote  it ;  but  I  had  no  more  idea 
of  receiving  money  from  him,  than  I  have  this 
moment  of  receiving  it  from  Tippoo  Saib. 
However,  I  took  it  without  any  hesitation,  and 
told  him  I  would  be  as  complaisant  to  him, 
if  ever  occasion  offered." 


ii 


tM.m 


Iff 


222 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


nm 


::'■(; 


"  I  have  once  visited  the  Foundling  Hospi- 
tal, and  the  Hospital  de  Dieu,  in  Paris ;  twice 
I  never  shall.  Not  all  the  morality  from  Con- 
fucius to  Addison  could  give  me  such  feelings. 
Eighteen  foundlings  were  brought  the  day  of 
my  visit.  One  was  brought  in  while  I  was 
there.  Dear  little  innocents !  But  you  are, 
happily,  insensible  of  your  situations.  Where 
are  your  unfortunate  mothers?  Perhaps,  in  the 
adjoining  hospital,  they  have  to  feel  for  you 
and  themselves  too.     But  where  is  the  wretch, 

the  villain,  the   monster ?      I  was  not  six 

minutes  in  the  house.  It  is  customary  to 
leave  a  few  pence ;  I  flung  down  six  livres 
and  retired. 

'•  Determined  to  persevere,  I  continued  my 
visit  over  the  way  to  the  Hospital  de  Dieu. 
I  entered  first  the  apartments  of  the  women. 
'  Why  will  you,  my  dear  sisters,'  1  was  going 
to  say  as  I  passed  along  between  the  beds  in 
ranks,  '  why  will  you  '^e '  but  I  was  inter- 
rupted by  a  melancholy  figure,  that  appeared  at 
its  last  gasp,  or  already  dead.  '  She's  dead,'  said 
1  to  a  German  gentleman,  who  was  with  me, 
'and  nobody  knows  or  cares  anything  about 
it '  We  approached  the  bedside.  I  observed 
a  slight  undulatory  motion  in  one  of  the  jugu- 
lar arteries.  '  She's  not  dead,'  said  I,  and 
seized    her    hand    to   search  for  her    pulse.      I 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


223 


twice 
Con- 


hoped  to  find  life,  but  it  was  gone.  The  word 
dead,  being  again  pronounced,  brought  the  nuns 
to  the  bed.  '  My  God !  '  exclaimed  the  head 
nun,  'she's  dead.'  *  Jesu,  Maria!'  exclaimed 
the  other  nuns,  in  their  defence,  '  she's  dead.' 
The  head  nun  scolded  the  others  for  their 
mal-attendance.  '  My  God  !  '  continued  she, 
•she  is  dead  without  the  form.'  '  Dieu  !  '  said 
the  others,  'she  died  so  silently.'  'Silence!' 
said  the  elder  ;  '  perhaps  she  is  not  dead  ;  say 
the  form.'  The*  form  was  said,  and  the  sheet 
thrown  over  her  face." 

"While  in  Normandy,  I  was  at  the  seat  of 
Conflans,  the  successor  of  him  who  was  so 
unfortunate  in  a  naval  affair  with  Hawke  of 
England.  It  is  the  lordship  of  the  manor. 
The  peasants  live  and  die  at  the  smiles  or 
frowns  of  their  lord,  and,  avaricious  of  the  for- 
mer, they  fly  to  communicate  to  him  any  un- 
common occurrence  in  the  village ;  and  such 
they  thought  our  arrival.  llie  place,  to  be 
S'lro,  is  very  remote,  and  the  gentleman  I  ac- 
companied, who  was  an  Englishman,  rode  in  a 
superb  manner.  His  coach  and  servants  were 
in  a  very  elegant  style.  M.  Conflans  was  in- 
formed of  it.  On  that  day  it  was  my  turn  to 
cater,  and  the  little  country  taverns  in  France 
are  such,  as  oblige  one  to  cook  for  himself,  if 
he  would  eat.     I  was  consequently   very  busy 


i 


si 


224 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


■"i 


m 


■i^ 


'h 


,1'  ■ 


Mil* 


::..is! 


',11* 


-'U 


■■I 


;i  7 


Lt  f*         "'  ii    ' 


in  the  kitchen.  The  Otaheite  marks  on  my 
hands  were  discovered ;  the  mistress  and  the 
maids  asked  our  servants  the  history  of  so 
strange  a  sight.  They  were  answered  tliat  1 
was  a  gentleman,  who  had  been  ronnd  the 
world.  It  was  enough  ;  Conflans  knew  of  it, 
and  sent  a  billet,  written  in  good  English,  to 
inquire  if  we  would  permit  him  the  honor  of 
seeing  us  at  his  mansion  ;  and,  if  he  could  be 
thus  distinguished,  he  would  come  and  wait 
on  us  thither  himself.  It  was  too  late  ;  the 
Englishman  and  I  had  begun  pell-mell  upon 
a  joint  of  roast.  If  Jove  himself  had  sent  a 
card  by  Blanchard  inviting  us,  it  would  have 
been  all  one.*  We  woiUd  honor  ourselves 
with  waiting  on  the  Marquis  de  Conflans  in 
the  evening.  We  did  so,  and  we  could  not 
but  be  pleased  with  the  reception  we  met 
with ;  it  was  in  the  true  character  of  a  French 
nobleman." 

"  I  took  a  walk  to  Paris  this  morning,  and 
saw  the  Marquis  de  Lafayette.  He  is  a  good 
man,  this  same  Marquis.  I  esteem  him,  and 
even  love  him,  and  so  we  all  do,  except  some 
few,  who  worship  him.     T  make  these  trips  to 


*  Blanchard  ha  J  recently  crossed  the  Strait  from  Dover 
to  Calais  in  a  balloon,  accompanied  by  Dr.  Jeffries,  of 
Boston. 


JOHN     LED YARD. 


225 


Paris  often  ;  sometimes  to  dine  with  this  amia- 
ble Frenchman,  and  sometimes  witli  our  min- 
ister, who  is  a  brother  to  me.  I  am  too  much 
alive  to  care  and  ambition  to  sit  still.  The 
unprofitable  life  I  have  led  goads  me ;  I  would 
willingly  crowd  as  much  merit  as  possible  into 
the  autumn  and  winter  of  it.  Like  Milton's 
hero  in  Paradise  Lost,  (who  happens,  by  the 
way,  to  be  the  evil  one  himself,)  it  behoves 
me  now  to  use  both  oar  and  sail  to  gain  my 
port. 

"  The  Paris  papers  of  to-day  announce  the 
discovery  of  some  valuable  gold  mines  in  Mont- 
gomery county,  Virginia,  which  I  rejoice  to 
hear  ;  but  I  hope  they  will  not  yield  too  much 
of  it,  for,  as  Poor  Richard  says,  '  too  much  of 
one  thing  is  good  for  nothing.'  All  that  T 
can  say  is,  that,  if  too  much  of  it  is  as  bad  as 
too  little,  the  Lord  help  you,  as  he  has  me, 
who,  in  spite  of  my  poverty,  am  hearty  and 
cheerful.  I  die  with  anxiety  to  be  on  the 
back  of  the  American  States,  after  having 
either  come  from  or  penetrated  to  the  Pacific 
Ocean.  There  is  an  extensive  field  for  the 
acquirement  of  honest  fame.  A  blush  of  gen- 
erous regret  sits  on  my  cheek,  when  I  hear  of 
any  discovery  there,  which  I  have  had  no  part 
in,  and  particularly  at  this  auspicious  period. 
The  American  revolution  invites  to  a  thorough 


3 '  r~  '1 

W 

m 


s4 


VOL.    XIV. 


15 


226 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


'lit!  Hi'"!   "'■■**'',' 


■ii\ 


' ''  J ,  .'  .■ '   i 'I' 
.-    1  '■  ;..  ¥ 


.1   '' 


si   4' '^ ■■■■,'. ■::-,'■'>-. 


discovery  of  the  continent,  and  the  honor  of 
doing  it  would  become  a  foreigner,  but  a  na- 
tive only  can  feel  the  genuine  pleasure  of  the 
achievement.  It  was  necessary  that  a  Eu- 
ropean should  discover  the  existence  of  that 
continent,  but,  in  the  name  of  Amor  Pntria, 
let  a  native  explore  its  resources  and  bounda- 
ries. It  is  my  wish  to  be  the  man.  I  will 
not  yet  resign  that  wish,  nor  my  pretensions 
to  that  distinction.  Farewell  for  the  present. 
I  have  just  received  intelligence,  which  hur- 
ries me  to  London.  What  fate  intends  is  al- 
ways a  secret ;  fortitude  is  the  word.  I  leave 
this  letter  with  my  brother  and  my  father,  our 
minister.  He  will  send  it  by  the  first  convey- 
ance.    Adieu." 

The  intelligence  here  alluded  to  was  from 
his  eccentric  friend.  Sir  James  Hall,  who  had 
returned  to  London.  In  six  days  Ledyard  was 
with  him  in  the  British  capital.  He  there 
found  an  English  ship  in  complete  readiness 
to  sail  for  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Sir  James  Hall 
introduced  him  to  the  owners,  who  imrnedi- 
ately  offered  him  a  free  passage  in  the  vessel, 
with  the  promise,  that  he  should  be  set  on 
shore  at  any  place  on  the  Northwest  Coast, 
which  he  might  choose.  The  merchants,  no 
doubt,  hoped  to  profit  somewhat  by  his  knowl- 
edge and   experience,  and  he  could  not    object 


^''lf4. 


.rOHN      riKDYAllD. 


227 


to  such  an  exchange,  as  these  were  his  only 
possessions.  One  of  Cook's  officers  was  also 
going  out  in  the  same  vessel.  The  day  before 
he  was  to  go  on  board,  Led  yard  wrote  to  Mr. 
Jefferson  in  the  following  animated  strain. 

"  Sir  James  Hall  presented  me  with  twenty 
guineas  pro  bono  publico.  I  bought  two  great 
dogs,  an  Indian  pipe,  and  .a  hatchet.  My  want 
of  time,  as  well  as  of  money,  will  prevent  my 
going  any  otherwise  than  indifferently  equipped 
for  such  an  enterprise  ;  but  it  is  certain,  that 
I  shall  be  more  in  want  before  I  see  Virginia. 
Why  should  I  repine  ?  You  know  how  much 
I  owe  the  amiable  Lafayette.  Will  you  do 
me  the  honor  to  present  my  most  grateful 
thanks  to  him  ?  If  I  find  in  my  trav^els  a 
mountain,  as  much  elevated  above  other  moun- 
tains, as  he  is  above  ordinary  men,  I  will  name 
it  Lafayette.  I  beg  the  honor,  also,  of  my 
compliments  to  Mr.  Short,  who  has  been  my 
friend,  and  who,  like  the  good  widow  in  Scrip- 
ture, cast  in  not  only  his  mite,  but  more  than 
he  was  able,  for  my  assistance." 

The  equipment  of  two  dogs,  an  Indian  pipe, 
and  a  hatchet,  it  must  be  confessed,  was  very 
scanty  for  a  journey  across  a  continent ;  but 
they  were  selected  with  an  eye  to  their  uses. 
The  dogs  would  be  his  companions,  and  assist 
him  in  taking  wild  animals  for  food;  the  pipe 


A 


228 


AMEJllCAN      lilOGKAPHY. 


V 


■A 

■.■■1,1! 

•I. 


1 

, 

f 

■  ri'f 

'''*,■ 

■■  ■  {■' 

'"' 

m  ■■'     A 


'r,'w*ii 


■:■{■ 


Pis,    •  •  -.         ■  '"'■ 


4  ^^1.: 


was  an  emblem  of  peace  to  the  Indians;  and 
the  hatchet  vvonld  serve  many  purposes  of 
convenience  and  utility.  His  choice  could  not 
have  fallen,  perhaps,  upon  three  more  essential 
requisites  for  a  solitary  traveller  among  savages 
and  wild  beasts ;  they  would  enable  him  to 
provide  for  his  defence,  and  procure  a  friendly 
reception,  covering,  and  sustenance.  All  these 
were  necessary,  and  must  be  the  first  objects 
of  his  care. 

His  plan  was  fully  arranged  before  entering 
the  ship.  He  determined  to  land  at  Nootka 
Sound,  where  he  had  passed  some  time  with 
Cook's  expedition,  and  thence  strike  directly 
into  the  interior,  and  pursue  his  course  as  for- 
tune should  guide  him  to  Virgin'a.  By  his 
calculation,  the  voyage  and  tour  would  take 
him  about  three  years.  He  was  much  grati- 
fied with  the  reception  he  met  in  London,  and 
particularly  from  Sir  Joseph  Banks,  and  some 
other  gentlemen  of  science,  who  entered  warm- 
ly into  his  designs.  It  was  believed,  that  his 
discoveries  would  not  fail  to  add  valuable  im- 
provements to  geography  and  natural  history ; 
and  there  was  a  romantic  daring  in  the  enter- 
prise itself,  well  suited  to  gain  the  applause  of 
ardent  and  liberal  minds.  Thus  encouraged, 
his  enthusiasm  rose  higher  than  ever,  and  his 
impatience  to  embark  increased  every  moment. 


JOirX      M.  DVAIID. 


229 


Wliile  in  Paris  the  preceding  ycnr,  lie  had 
become  ac(iuaintcd  with  Colonel  Smith,  sec- 
retary of  legation  to  Mr.  Adains,  at  that  time 
American  minister  in  London.  Colonel  Smith 
befriended  him  after  his  arrival  in  Eiigland, 
and,  conceiving  tiie  journey  he  was  ahoiit  to 
undertake  as  promising  to  be  highly  important 
to  America,  he  wrote  an  account  of  it  to  Mr. 
Jay,  then  secretary  of  foreign  aflairs  in  the 
United  States.  After  a  (aw  remarks  relative 
to  Ledyard's  previous  attempts  and  objects, 
Colonel  Smith  proceeds  ; 

"  In  consequence  of  some  allurements  from 
'1  English  nobleman  at  Paris,  he  came  here 
with  the  intention  of  exploring  the  Northwest 
Coast  and  country ;  and  a  vessel  being  on  the 
point  of  sailing  for  that  coast,  after  supplying 
himself  with  a  few  necessary  articles  for  his 
voyage  and  march,  he  procured  a  passage,  with 
a  promise  from  the  captain  to  land  him  on 
the  western  coast,  from  which  he  means  to 
attempt  a  march  through  the  Indian  nations 
to  the  back  parts  of  the  Atlantic  States,  for 
the  purpose  of  examining  the  country  and  its 
inhabitants ;  and  he  expects  to  be  able  to  make 
his  way  through,  possessed  of  such  information 
of  the  country  and  people,  as  will  be  of  great 
advantage  to  ours.  This  remains  to-  be  proved. 
It  is  a  daring,   wild    attempt.      Determined    to 


Bit 

i 


230 


A  M  K  Jl  i  C  A  N      H  1  O  G  R  A  P  H  Y  , 


mmiM 


pursue  the  object,  he  embarked  the  lar>t  week, 
fi^e  and  independent  of  the  v/orld,  pursuing 
his  plan  unembarrassed  by  contract  or  obliga- 
tioii.  If  he  succeeds,  and  in  the  course  of 
two  or  three  years  should  visit  our  country  by 
this  amazing  circuit,  he' may  bring  with  him 
some  interesting,  information.  If  he  fails,  and 
is  never  heard  of  more,  which  I  think  most 
j)robable,  there  is  no  harm  done.  He  dies  in 
an  unknown  country,  and  if  he  composes  him- 
self in  his  last  moments  with  the  reflection, 
that  his  project  was  great,  and  the  undertaking 
what  few  men  are  capable  of,  it  will  to  his 
mind  soothe  the  passage.  He  is  perfectly  cal- 
culated for  the  atteript,  robuf'l  and  healthy, 
and  has  an  immense  passion  to  make  discov- 
eries, which  will  benefit  society,  and  insure 
him,  agreeably  to  his  own  expression,  ^  a  small 
degree  of  honest  fame.'  It  may  not  be  im- 
proper for  your  Excellency  to  be  acquainted 
with  these  circumstances,  and  you  are  the 
best  judge  of  the  propriety  of  extending  them 
furthei." 

The  vessel  went  down  the  Thames  from 
Deptford,  and  in  a  few  days  put  to  sea.  Led- 
yard  thought  it  the  happiest  moment  of  his 
life.  But  alas !  how  uncertain  are  human  ex- 
pectations !  Again  was  he  doomed  to  suffer 
the  agonies   of   a  disappointment    more    severe 


JOHN     LEDYARD, 


231 


thari  any  that  had  preceded,  because  never  be- 
fore were  his  wishes  so  near  their  consninma- 
tion.  He  looked  upon  the  great  obstacles  as 
overcome,  and  regarded  himself  as  beyond  the 
reach  of  fortune's  caprice.  This  delusion  soon 
vanished.  The  vessel  was  not  out  of  sight 
of  'and,  before  it  was  brought  back  by  an  or- 
der from  the  government,  and  the  voyage  was 
finally  broken  off.  He  went  back  to  London, 
as  may  be  supposed,  with  a  heavy  heart.  A 
month  afterwards  he  v/rote  to  Dr.   Ledyard ; 

"  I  am  still  the  slave  of  fortune  and  the 
son  of  care.  You  will  be  surprised  that  I  am 
yet  in  London,  unless  you  will  conclude  with 
me,  that,  after  what  has  happened,  nothing  can 
be  surprising.  I  think  my  l'<st  letter  informed 
you,  that  I  was  absolutely  CiUbarked  on  board 
a  ship  in  the  Thames,  bound  to  the  North- 
west Coast  of  America.  This  will  inform  you, 
that  1  have  disembarked  from  said  ship,  on 
account  of  her  having  been  unfortunately 
seized  by  the  cu.stom-house,  and  eventually 
exchequered  ;  ixnd  that  I  am  obliged  in  conse- 
quence to  alter  my  route  ;  and,  in  short,  every- 
thing, all  my  little  baggage,  shield,  buckler, 
lance,  dogs,  squire,  and  all,  gone.  I  only  am 
left ;  left  to  what  ?  To  some  riddle,  I'll 
warrant  you  ;  or,  at  all  events,  I  will  not  war- 
rant  anything    else.      My  heart    is    too  much 


ill! 


232 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY, 


■li 
p 


I        {' 


'0 


'e. 


¥ 


pi'  ^ 

5'H    ■  ■ .     1 


K3^  r  ' '  ,t 


•1  ■;.! 


,  mm 

■4    >     ■    ,;:■'    :" 


I   t 


■«')■ 


troubled  at  this  moment  to  write  you  as  I 
ought  10  do.  I  will  only  add,  that  I  am  going 
in  a  few  days  to  make  the  tour  of  the  globe 
from  London  east  on  foot.  I  dare  not  write 
you  more,  nor  intrcmee  you  to  the  real  state 
of  my  affairs.  Farewell.  Fortitude !  Adieu." 
By  this  it  will  be  seen  that  his  Siberian 
project  was  again  revived  ;  and,  in  fact,  a  sub- 
scription to  aid  him  in  this  object  had  already 
been  commenced  in  London,  under  the  patron- 
age of  Sir  Joseph  Banks,  Dr.  Hunter,  Sir 
James  Hall,  and  Colonel  Smith.  "  I  fear  my 
subscription  will  be  small,"  he  says,  in  a  letter 
to  Mr.  Jefferson  ;  "  it  adds  to  my  anxiety  to 
reach  those  dominions  where  I  shall  not  want 
money.  I  do  not  mean  the  dominibns  that 
may  be  beyond  death.  I  shall  never  wish  to 
die  while  you  and  the  Marquis  are  alive.  I 
am  going  across  Siberia,  as  I  before  intended." 
The  amount  collected  by  his  friends  is  not 
mentioned,  but  it  was  such  as  to  induce  him 
to  set  out  upon  the  journey ;  which,  indeed, 
he  probably  would  have  done  had  he  obtained 
no  money  at  all.  He  had  lived  too  long  by 
expedients  to  be  stopped  in  his  career  by  an 
obstacle  so  trifling  in  his  imagination  as  the 
want  of  money,  and  he  was  panting  to  get 
into  a  country  where  its  iise  was  unknown, 
and  where,  of  course,  the  want  of  it  would  not 
be  felt. 


-1 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


233 


CHAPTER  VIIL 

hedyard  proceeds  to  Hamburg ;  thence  to  CopeU' 
hagen  and  Stockholm.  —  Journey  round  the 
Gulf  of  Bothnia. — Arrives  at  Petersburg. — 
Procures  a  Passport  from  the  Empress.  —  Sets 
out  for  Siberia.  —  Crosses  the  Uralian  Moun- 
tains. —  Descriptions  of  the  Country  and  the 
Inhabitants. — Arrives  at  Irkutsk. 


Leaving  London  in  December,  Ledyard  went 
over  to  Hamburg,  whence  he  immediately 
wrote  to  Colonel  Smith.  From  the  account 
of  his  finances  contained  in  that  letter,  it 
would  not  seem  that  he  was  encumbered,  at 
his  departure  from  England,  with  a  heavy 
purse.  He  makes  no  complaint,  however :  on 
the  contrary,  he  expresses  only  joy,  tha,  he 
journey,  which  he  had  so  long  desired,  was 
actually  begun. 

"I  am  here,"  he  says,  "with  ten  guineas 
exactly,  and  in  perfect  health.  One  of  my 
dogs  is  no  more.  I  lost  him  on  my  passage 
up  the  River  Elbe  to  Hamburg,  in  a  snow 
storm.  I  was  out  in  it  forty  hours  in  an  open 
boat.  My  other  faithful  companion  is  under 
the  table  on  which  I  write.  1  dined  to-day 
with  Madam  Parish,   lady  of   the  gentleman  T 


m 

mr 


234 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


mil  ;.dv-.,/'f;''^1 


m 

■'■ 

m  . 

P  ■ 

/, 

^r 

^K  ■ 

' , 

p  -• 

i|ii 

1  •: 

\  ]  ,   '  1 

m^    ». 

^        '  ■  .,      i 

mentioned  to  you.  It  is  a  Scotch  house  of  the 
first  commercial  distin  tion  here.  The  Scotch 
have  by  nature  a  dignity  of  sentiment,  that  rei?- 
ders  them  accompHshed.  I  could  go  to  Heaver, 
with  Madam  Parish,  but  she  Imd  some  people 
at  her  table,  that  I  could  not  go  to  heav^in 
with.  I  cannot  submit  to  a  haughty  eccen- 
tricity of  manners.  My  fate  has  sent  me  to 
the  tavern  where  Major  Langborn  was  three 
weeks.  He  is  now  at  Copenhagen,  having 
left  his  baggage  here  to  be  sent  on  to  him. 
By  some  mistake  he  has  not  received  it,  and 
has  written  to  the  master  of  the  hotel  on  the 
subject.  T  shall  write  to  him,  and  give  him 
my  address  at  Petersburg.  I  should  wish  to 
see  him  at  all  events ,  but  to  have  him  accom- 
pany me  on  my  voyage  would  be  a  pleasure 
indeed." 

*  This  Major  Langborn  turns  out  to  be  an 
American  officer,  lately  arrived  in  Hamburg 
from  Newcastle,  "a  very  good  kind  of  a  man, 
and  an  odd  kind  of  a  man,"  as  the  master  of 
the  hotel  called  him,  one  who  had  travelled 
much,  and  was  fond  of  travelling  in  his  own 
way.  He  had  gone  off  to  Copenhagen  with- 
out his  baggage,  taking  with  him  only  one 
spare  shirt,  and  very  few  other  articles  of  cloth- 
ing. It  does  not  appear,  that  Ledyard  had 
over  been   acquainted  with  Langborn,   or  even 


":i 


'MM 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


235 


seen  him  ;  but  he  had  heard  such  a  descrip- 
tion of  him  from  Colonel  Smith  and  others, 
that  in  fancy  he  had  become  enamored  of  the 
originality  and  romantic  turn  of  his  character, 
and  particularly  of  his  passion  for  travelling. 
Carried  away  with  this  whimsical  preposses- 
sion, he  had  got  it  into  his  head  that  Lang- 
born  was  the  fittest  man  in  the  world  to  be 
the  companion  of  his  travels.  An  imaginary 
resemblance  between  their  pursuits,  condition, 
and  tho  bent  of  their  genius,  created  a  sym 
pathy,  that  was  not  to  be  resisted.  He  more- 
over suspected,  from  hints  which  he  saw  in 
Langborn's  letter,  inquiring  about  his  trunk, 
that  he  was  in  want  of  money.  Here  was 
another  appeal  to  his  generosity,  and  one  which 
he  could  never  suffer  to  be  made  in  vain, 
when  he  had  ten  guhieas  in  his  pocket.  "  I 
will  fly  to  him  with  my  little  all,  and  some 
clothes,  and  lay  them  at  his  feet.  At  this 
moment  I  may  be  useful  to  him.  He  is  my 
countryman,  a  gentleman,  a  traveller.  He  may 
go  with  me  on  my  journey.  If  he  does,  I  am 
blessed  ;  if  not,  I  shall  merit  his  attention,  and 
shall  not  be  much  out  of  my  way  to  Peters- 
burg." 

With    this    state    of   his    feelings,  it    is   not 

wonderful  that  we  should  next  hear  from  him 

» 

at  Copenhagen.     He  hastened  on  to  that  city, 


11 


m 


236 


AIMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


:M 


I   '' 


\M 


!>■■'.    1 


m 


^1;',  vi' 


:■    If 


m 

■';■"■';    ;,    ' 

k 

r 

1 

1 

1           ■    -,       ■ 
"■"!;-■ 

and  arrived  there  about  the  1st  of  January, 
1787,  although  it  was  taking  him  far  aside 
from  his  direct  course,  and  exposing  him  to  all 
the  fatigues  and  perils  of  a  long,  tedious  win- 
ter passage  through  Swe:3en  and  Finland.  He 
found  Langborn  in  a  very  awkward  situation, 
without  money  or  friends,  and  shut  up  in  his 
room  for  the  want  of  decent  apparel  to  appear 
abroad  in ;  and,  what  was  worse,  incurring  the 
suspicions  of  those  around  him,  that  he  w[\s 
some  vagabond,  or  desperate  character,  whose 
conduct  had  rendered  it  expedient  for  l:im  to 
keep  out  of  sight.  Imagination  only  can  paint 
the  joy,  that  glowed  in  our  traveller's  counte- 
nance, when  he  saw  the  remains  of  his  ten 
guineas  slip  from  his  fingers,  to  relieve  the 
distresses  of  his  new  found  friend.  All  that 
could  now  be  said  of  them  was,  that  their 
poverty  was  equalized  ;  the  Major  could  walk 
abroad,  and  his  benefactor  had  not  means  to 
carry  him  beyond  the  bounds  of  the  city.  The 
road  -to  Petersburg  was  many  hundred  miles 
long,  through  snows,  and  over  ice,  and  present- 
ing obstacles  enough  at  that  season  to  appal 
the  stoutest  heart,  even  with  all  the  facilities 
for  travelling  which  gold  could  purchase. 
What,  then,  was  the  prospect  for  a  moneyless 
pedestrian  ? 

These    reflections  were   not   suffered    to    in- 


M:4^!^ 


JOHN     L  E  D  V  A  R  1)  . 


237 


trade  upon  the  pleasures  of  the  moment.  His 
money  was  gone,  it  was  true  ;  but  a  worthy 
man,  and  a  traveller,  had  been  made  happier 
by  it.  How  he  should  advance  further  was  a 
point  to  be  thought  of  to-morrow ;  yet  the 
doubt  never  came  into  his  mind,  that  anything 
could  stop  him  when  the  time  should  arrive 
for  him  to  move  forward.  Neither  confidence 
nor  fortitude  ever  forsook  him.  Two  weeks 
were  agreeably  passed  in  the  society  of  Lang- 
born  ;  but  no  inducements  could  prevail  on  him 
to  undertake  the  Siberian  tour,  much  less  to 
hazard  the  dangerous  experiment  of  intrusting 
himself  among  the  wild  barbarians  of  North 
America.  His  humor  was  not  of  this  sort ;  yet 
it  was  scarcely  less  peculiar  than  if  it  had 
been.  "  I  see  in  him,"  says  Ledyard  to 
Colonel  Smith,  "  the  soldier,  the  countryman, 
and'  the  generous  friend ;  but  he  would  hang 
me  if  he  knew  1  had  written  a  word  about 
him;  and  so  I  will  say  no  more,  than  just  to 
inform  you,  that  he  means  to  wander  this 
winter  through  Norway,  Swedish  Lapland,  and 
Sweden ;  and  in  the  spring  to  visit  Petersburg. 
1  asked  to  attend  him  through  this  route  to 
Petersburg ;  '  No ;  I  estee.m  you,  but  I  can 
travel  in  the  way  I  do  with  no  man  on 
earth.' "  After  this  avowal,  the  Major  certain- 
ly merits  the  praise  of  frankness,  if  not  of  com- 


m 

k 


'  IB] 


i 


238 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


m 
Ik'.'- 

m 


ok     ■ 


pliance  ;  and  Led  yard  must  have  possessed  a 
larger  share  of  practical  philosophy  than  falls 
to  the  lot  of  most  men,  to  have  been  perfect- 
ly reconciled  to  this  abrupt  declaration,  after 
coming  so  far  out  of  his  way,  and  spending 
much  time  and  all  his  money  in  search  of  a 
companion,  who  he  fondly  hoped  would  parti- 
cipate in  his  adventures. 

When  this  visit  of  friendship  was  closed, 
and  the  hour  of  departure  approached,  the  ne- 
cessity was  pressed  upon  him  of  looking  about 
for  money.  He  drew  a  small  bill  on  Colonel 
Smith,  and  good  fortune  put  in  his  way  a 
merchant,  who  consented  to  accept  it,  and  pay 
him  the  amount.  "  Thompson's  goodness  to 
me,"  he  writes  to  Colonel  Smith,  "  in  accept- 
ing the  bill  on  you,  relying  on  my  honor,  has 
saved  me  from  perdition,  and  will  enable  me 
to  reach  Petersburg."  A  small  sum,  to  meet 
such  an  exigency,  had  been  left  in  Colonel 
Smith's  hands,  but  not  to  the  full  amount  of 
the  draft.  Ledyard  apologizes  for  the  addi- 
tion, and  tells  his  friend  that  he  must  put  it 
to  the  account  of  charity,  for  his  necessities 
only  had  compelled  him  to  overdraw.  The 
draft  was  kindly  accepted  by  Colonel  Smith, 
when  it  came  to  hand.  Thus  replenished, 
our  traveller  parted  from    the  eccentric  Major. 


It 


lit, 


JOHN      LEDiTARD. 


239 


crossed  over  into  Sweden,  and  arrived  in  Stock- 
holm towards  the  end  of  January.* 

The  common  mode  of  travelling  from  Stock- 
holm to  Petersburg  in  the  summer  season, -is 
to  cross  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia  to  Abo  in  Fin- 
land by  water,  touching  at  the  Isles  of  Aland 
on  the  passage.     In   winter  the   same  route  is 

*  Langborn  pursued  his  route,  as  he  had  proposed,  wan- 
dering over  Sweden,  Norway,  and  Lapland.  The  summer 
following  he  arrived  in  Tornea,  at  the  proper  season  for 
witnessing  the  sight  which  has  drawn  other  travellers  to 
that  place.  Tornea  is  but  a  few  miles  south  of  the  Arc- 
tic Circle,  and  at  the  time  of  the  summer  solstice  the  sun 
appears  above  the  horizon,  as  observed  by  Maupertuis,  "  fur 
several  days  together  without  setting."  Travellers  are  then 
favored  with  what  is  called  "  a  view  of  the  sun  at  mid- 
night" Acerbi  was  there  in  1799,  and  he  mentions  Lang- 
born.  In  the  church  of  Jukasjeroi,  a  town  at  some  dis- 
tance to  the  north  of  Tornea,  and  the  Ultima  Thule  of 
travellers  in  that  direction,  there  is  a  book  in  which  are 
written  the  names  of  visitors,  with  such  remarks  as  their 
humor  prompted  them  to  indite.  These  are  copied  into 
Acerbi's  Travels,  amounting  to  only  seven  in  number.  The 
first  record  was  by  Regnard,  on  the  18th  of  August,  1G81. 
The  following  is  a  literal  transcript  of  another;  "Justice 
bids  me  record  thy  hospitable  fame,  and  testify  it  by  my 
name.  W.  Langborn,  United  States.  July  23d,  1787." 
This  was  six  months  after  Ledyard  left  him  in  Copenha- 
gen. Acerbi  says  he  was  travelling  on  foot  from  Norway 
to  Archangel. 

In  a  notice  of  the  first  edition  of  this  work,  in  the 
"Southern  Review,"  are  the  following  remarks. 

"  We   chanced   to  know    Major  Langborn   after  he   re- 


s 


I 


i: 


i 


P 


i 


Hi 


240 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


I. 


'i:i4».--i'f 


'!^:m 


*  -Kt 


:'!:■]' 


pursued,  when  the  sea  is  frozen  so  hard  as  to 
admit  of  sledges  being  drawn  from  one  island 
to  another  on  the  ice.  The  greatest  distance 
to  be  passed  over  in  this  manner,  without 
touching  land,  is  about  thirty  miles.  Under 
the  most  favorable  circumstances  this  passage 
is  troublesome  and  dangerous.  It  is  well  de- 
scribed by  Acerbi.  "  My  astonishment  was 
greatly  increased,"  says  he,  "in  proportion  as 
we  advanced  from  our  starting  post.  The  sea, 
at    first   smooth    and    even,   became    more   and 


turned  from  his  peregrinations,  and  have  ofVen  been  amused 
with  his  account  of  his  adventures  and  odd  modrs  of  trav- 
elling.  He  possessed  a  competent  estate  in  Virginia,  liad 
been  an  officer  of  the  revolution,  and,  soon  atler  the  peace, 
having  conceived  an  ardent  clesire  of  seeing  remote  parts 
of  the  world,  he  determined  to  visit  them  in  his  own  way, 
He  commonly  travelled  on  foot,  and  in  the  cheapest  and 
obscurest  style.  When  he  arrived  at  any  town  at  which 
he  meant  to  stop,  his  appearance  underwent  an  immediate 
metamorphosis,  and  he  assumed  his  proper  character.  He 
was  in  Paris  during  the  reign  of  terror,  and  was  himself 
near  falling  a  victim  to  the  tyrannical  proscriptions  which 
then  prevailed. 

"Major  Langborn  was  certainly  an  eccentric  man,  but 
his  oddity  was  not  offensive,  because  it  was  not  obtrusive, 
and  was  free  from  everything  like  affectation.  It  was  not 
araonsr  the  least  remarkable  circumstances  of  his  life,  that, 
on  returning  to  his  native  state,  afler  an  absence  of  more 
than  twenty  years,  he  married  the  daughter  of  the  lady 
whom  he  had  addressed  in  his  youth;  and  these,  we  are 
inclined  to  think,  were  the  only  attachments  he  ever  formed." 


ES'i 


JOHN     LEDVAKD 


241 


more  rough  and  unequal.  It  assumed,  as  we 
proceeded,  an  undulating  appearance,  resembling 
the  waves  by  which  it  had  been  agitated.  At 
length  we  met  with  masses  of  ice  heaped  one 
upon  the  other,  and  some  of  them  seeming  as 
if  they  were  suspended  in  the  air,  while  oth- 
ers were  raised  in  the  form  of  pyramids.  On 
the  whole,  they  exhibited  a  picture  of  the 
wildest  and  most  savage  confusion,  that  sur- 
prised the  eye  by  tlie  novelty  of  its  appear- 
ance. It  was  an  immense  chaos  of  icy  ruins, 
presented  to  view  under  every  possible  form, 
and  embellished  by  superb  stalactites  of  a  blue 
green  color."  Over  this  rough  surface,  and  be- 
tween the  broken  waves  of  ice,  the  passengers 
are  drawn  in  sledges,  muffled  up  in  wolf-skins 
and  other  furs.  The  chief  danger  consists  in 
the  sledges  being  repeatedly  upset,  and  the 
horses  sometimes  taking  fright,  and  running 
away  like  wild  deer.  Acerbi  had  a  serious  ad- 
venture of  this  sort,  but  he  luckily  escaped 
without  harm,  as  he  did  from  many  other  ad- 
ventures, which  awaited  him  in  his  travels  to 
the  North  Cape. 

This  is  the  method  of  crossing  the  Gulf  of 
Bothnia  in  common  seasons,  but  there  is  occa- 
sioxially  an  open  winter,  when  it  is  impassable, 
either  .by  water  or  on  the  ice;  for,  if  the  pas- 
sage does    not  freeze  entirely  over,  the   water 

VOL.    XIV.  16 


•i' 


1 


<i^  ;.i1 


iiiii 


242 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHy. 


m 


M    > 


t5     ■''•■ 


I 


t     J 


;  I 


M3 


!ii'i";i.::! 


jii|ffb  : 


contains  so  much  floating  ice,  that  no  vessel 
can  sail  through  it.  When  this  happens,  the 
only  way  of  going  to  Petersburg  is  around  the 
gulf,  a  distance  of  twelve  hundred  miles,  over 
trackless  snows,  in  regions  thinly  peopled, 
where  the  nights  are  long  and  the  cold  in- 
tense, and  all  this  to  gain  no  more  than  fifty 
miles. 

Such  was  unfortunately  the  condition  of  the 
ice,  when  Lcdyard  arrived  at  the  usual  place 
of  crossing.  It  had  not  been  frozen  solid  from 
the  beginning  of  the  winter,  and  no  traveller 
could  pass.  Of  all  his  disappointments,  none 
had  afflicted  him  more  severely  than  this.  The 
only  alternative  was,  either  to  stay  in  Stock- 
holm till  the  spring  should  open,  or  to  go 
around  the  gulf  into  Lapland,  and  seek  his 
way  from  the  Arctic  Circle  to  Petersburg, 
through  the  whole  extent  of  Finland  ;  and  in 
either  case  he  foresaw,  that  he  should  arrive 
so  late  in  Russia,  that  another  season  would 
be  wasted  in  Siberia,  before  he  could  cross 
to  the  American  continent.  The  single  cir- 
cumstance, therefore,  of  the  passage  to  Abo  be- 
ing thus  obstructed,  was  likely  to  keep  him 
back  a  full  year  from  the  attainment  of  his 
grand  object.  But  he  did  not  deliberate  long. 
He  could  not  endure  inactivity,  and  new  diffi- 
culties nerved  him  with  new  strength    to  en- 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


243 


counter  and  subdue  them.  He  set  out  for 
Tornea  in  tlie  heart  of  winter,  afoot  and  alone, 
without  money  or  friends,  on  a  road  almost 
unfrequented  at  that  frightful  season,  and  with 
the  gloomy  certainty  resting  on  his  mind,  that 
he  must  travel  northward  six  hundred  miles, 
before  he  could  turn  his  steps  towards  a  milder 
climate,  ?nd  then  six  or  seven  hundred  more 
in  descending  to  Petersburg,  on  the  other  side 
of  the  Gulf. 

When  Maupertuis  and  his  companions  were 
about  leaving  Stockholm,  on  their  journey  to 
Tornea,  for  the  purpose  of  measuring  a  degree 
of  the  meridian  under  the  Polar  Circle,  the 
Kin'T  of  Sweden  told  them,  that  "it  was  not 
without  sensible  concern,  that  he  saw  them 
pursue  so  desperate  an  undertaking ;  "  yet  they 
were  prepared  with  every  possible  convenience 
for  travelling,  and  protection  against  the  rigors 
of  a  northern  winter.  A  better  idea  of  the  de- 
gree and  effects  of  cold,  at  the  head  of  the 
Gulf,  carniot  be  formed,  perhaps,  than  from 
Mau})ertuis'  description. 

"  The  town  of  Tornea,  at  our  arrival  on  the 
30th  of  December,  had  really  a  most  frightful 
aspect.  Its  little  houses  were  buried  to  the 
tops  in  snow,  which,  if  there  had  been  any 
daylight,  must  have  effectually  shut  it  out. 
But  the  snows  continually  falling,  or  ready  to 


m 


Til 


i-J 


p 


iw< 


1*1: 


4 

11: 


}■: 


K/- 


i^? 


'if  f  :|i: 


Si . 

lite 


H  ' 


I  ;  I 


■■xh' 


;,•  I 


f^^,W^.  I 


11} 


1      'I 
'       I 

■•5  jr' 


244 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


fall,  for  the  most  part  hid  the  sun  the  few 
moments,  that  he  might  have  shown  himself 
at  midday.  In  tlie  month  of  January  the 
cold  was  increased  to  that  extremity,  that 
Reaumur's  mercurial  thermometers,  which  in 
Paris,  in  the  jreat  frost  of  1709,  it  was  thought 
strange  to  see  fall  to  fourteen  degrees  below 
the  freezing  point,  were  now  down  to  tliirly- 
seven.  The  spirit  of  wine  in  the  others  was 
frozen.  If  we  opened  the  door  of  a  warm 
room,  the  external  air  instantly  converted  all 
the  air  in  it  into  snow,  whirling  it  round  in 
white  vortexes.  If  we  v/ent  abroad,  we  felt 
as  if  the  air  were  tearing  our  breasts  in  pieces. 
And  the  cracking  of  the  wood  whereof  th3 
houses  are  built,  as  if  the  violence  of  the  cold 
split  it,  continually  alarmed  us  with  an  ap- 
proaching: increase  of  cold.  The  solitude  c° 
the  streets  was  no  less  than  if  the  inhabitants 
had  been  all  dead  ;  and  in  this  country  you 
may  often  see  people  that  have  been  maime  1, 
and  had  an  arm  or  a  leg  frozen  off.  The 
cold,  which  is  always  very  great,  increases 
sometimes  by  such  violent  and  sudden  fits,  as 
are  almost  infallibly  fatal  to  those  that  happen 
to  be  exposed  to  it.  Sometimes  there  arise 
sudden  tempests  of  snow,  that  are  still  more 
dangerous.  The  winds  seem  to  blow  from  all 
quarters    at   once,   and    drive   pbout    the   snow 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


2*15 


with  such  fury,  that  in  a  moment  all  the  roads 
are  lost.  Unhappy  he,  who  is  seized  by  such 
a  storm  in  the  fields  !  His  arcquaintance  with 
the  country,  or  the  ijiarks  lie  may  hav^e  taken 
by  the  trees,  cannot  avail  him.  He  is  blinded 
by  the  snow,  and  lost  if  he  stirs  but  a  step."* 
These  were  the  scenes,  that  awaited  our 
pedestrian  in  his  winter  excursion  to  the  Polar 
Circle.  How  far  they  were  realized  by  him 
must  be  now  left  to  conjecture.  No  part  ®f 
his  journal  during  this  tour  has  been  preserved, 
nor  is  it  known  what  course  he  took  from 
Tornea  to  Petersburg.  The  common  route  is 
along  the  border  of  the  Gulf  to  Abo,  but  in 
winter  the  road  is  much  obstructed  by  ice, 
and  is  extremely  bad.  Linnasus  passed  it  in 
September,  when  returning  from  his  scientific 
tour  to  Lapland,  and  he  estimates  the  distance 
from  Tornea  to  Abo  at  upwards  of  six  hun* 
tired  English  miles.  From  a  remark  in  Led- 
yard's  letter  to  Mr.  Jefferson,  which  wil'  be 
quoted  below,  it  w^ould  seem,  that  he  took  a 
different  direction,  and  passed  further  into  the 
interior  of  Russia?i  Finland.  This  route,  as 
lie  intimates,  must  have  been  wholly  unfre- 
ejuented  by  travellers,  although  the  distance 
must    be  shorter,   and   at   that    season    perhaps 


*  See  Maupertuis'  Discourse  before  ilve  Royal  Academy  of 
Sciences  in  Paris.    November  13th,  i737. 


1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

'jI- 

It  i 


f4' 


■^'^f- 


iS  I'l  li       U-  I  ' 


'^46 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY, 


;  '■      '    viii 


'I'lji 


11 


»*'iiliiirill^  ' 


m 


;i 


;  '.:i: 


.  •  ■^ .  ,  t 


g  y, 


Stj  •■ 


the  difficulties  to  be  encountered  were  not 
greater,  than  down  the  Gulf. 

Be  this  as  it  may,  he  reached  Petersburg 
before  the  20th  of  March,,  that  is,  within  sevea 
weeks  of  the  time  of  leaving  Stockholm,  mak- 
ing the  average  distance  travelled  about  two 
hundred  miles  a  week.  It  is  evident,  there- 
fore, that  he  met  with  no  obstacles,  which  his 
resolution  did  not  speedily  overcome.  His  let- 
ter to  Mr.  Jefferson,  dated  Petersburg,  March 
19th,  1787,  will  acquaint  us  with  the  state  of 
his  feelings,  and  his  prospects,  at  this  stage  of 
his  travels. 

''  It  will  be  one  of  the  remaining  pleasures 
of  my  life,  to  thank  you  for  the  many  in- 
stances of  your  friendship,  and,  wherever  I  am, 
to  pursue  you  with  the  tale  of  my  gratitude. 
If  Mr.  Barclay  should  be  at  Paris,  let  him  rank 
with  you  as  my  next  friend.  I  hardly  know 
how  to  estimate  the  goodness  of  the  Marquis 
de  Lafayette  to  me,  but  I  think  a  French 
nobleman,  of  the  first  character  in  his  country, 
never  did  more  to  serve  an  obscure  citizen  of 
another,  than  he  has  done  for  me ;  and  I  am 
sure  that  it  is  impossible,  without  some  kind 
of  soul  made  expressly  for  the  purpose,  that 
an  obscure  citizen  in  such  a  situation  can  be 
more  grateful  than  I  am.  May  he  be  told  so, 
with  my  compliments  to  his  lady. 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


247 


"  I  cannot  tell  you  by  what  means  I  came 
to  Petersburg,  and  hardly  know  by  what  me^ns 
I  shall  quit  it,  in  the  furt'uer  prosecution  of  my 
tour  round  the  world  by  land.  If  I  have  any 
merit  in  the  affair,  it  is  perseverance,  for  most 
severely  have  I  been  buffeted ;  and  yet  still 
am  ev^en  more  obstinate  than  before  :  and  Fate, 
as  obstinate,  continues  her  assaults.  How  the 
matter  will  terminate  I  know  not.  The  most 
probable  c  njecture  is,  that  I  shall  succeed,  and 
be  buffeted  around  the  world,  as  I  have  hith- 
erto been  from  England  through  Denmark, 
through  Sweden,  Swedish  T^apland,  Swedish 
Finland,  and  the  most  unfrequented  parts  of 
Russian  Finland,  to  this  aurora  borcalis  of  a 
city.  I  cannot  give  you  a  history  of  myself 
since  I  saw  you,  or  since  I  wrote  you  last ; 
however  abridged,  it  would  be  too  long.  Upon 
the  whole,  mankind  have  used  me  well ;  and 
though  I  have  as  yet  reached  only  the  first 
stage  of  my  journey,  I  feel  myself  much 
indebted  for  that  urbanity,  which  I  always 
thought  more  general  than  many  think  it  to 
be  ;  and  were  it  not  for  the  mischievous  laws 
and  bad  examples  of  some  governments  I  have 
passed  through,  I  am  persuaded  I  should  be 
able  to  give  you  a  still  better  account  of  our 
fel'^w-creatures. 

"But    I    am    hastening    to    countries,  where 


I 


f 

MU 


'.I 


m 


! 


M 


I-  ) 

i 


■;-i 


If  < 

I 


,11 


248 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


goodness,  if  natural  to  the  human  heart,  will 
appear  independent  of  example,  and  furnish  an 
illustration  of  the  character  of  man,  not  un- 
worthy of  him  wlio  wrote  the  Declaration  of 
Independence.  I  did  not  hear  of  the  death 
of  M.  de  Vergennes  until  T  arrived  here.  Per- 
mit me  to  express  my  regret  at  the  loss  of  so 
great  and  so  good  a  man.  Permit  me,  also, 
to  congratulate  you,  as  the  minister  of  my 
country,  on  account  of  the  additional  commer- 
cial privileges  granted  by  France  to  America, 
and  to  express  my  ardent  wishes,  that  the 
friendly  spirit  which  dictated  them  may  last 
forever.  I  was  extremely  pleased  at  reading 
the  account ;  and  to  heighten  the  satisfaction, 
I  found  the   name  of  Lafayette  there. 

"An  equipment  is  now  on  foot  here  for  the 
Sea  of  Kamtschatka,  and  it  is  first  to  visit  the 
Northwest  Coast  of  America.  It  is  to  consist 
of  four  ships.  This,  and  the  expedition  that 
went  from  here  twelve  months  since  by  land 
for  Kamtschatka,  are  to  cooperate  in  a  design 
of  some  sort  in  the  Northern  Pacific  Ocean ; 
the  Lord  knows  what,  nor  does  it  matter  what 
with  me,  nor  indeed  with  you,  nor  any  other 
minister,  nor  any  potentate,  south  of  fifty  de- 
grees of  latitude.  I  can  only  say,  that  you  are 
in  no  danger  of  having  the  luxurious  repose 
of  your  charming  climates  disturbed  by  -a  sec- 


.JOHN      LEDYARD. 


249 


ond  incursion  of  either  Goth,  Vandal,   Hun,  or 
Scythian. 

"  I  dined  to-day  with  Professor  Pallas.  He  is 
an  acco.mplished  man,  and  my  friend,  and  has 
travelled  throughout  European  and  Asiatic  Rus- 
sia. I  find  the  little  French  I  have  of  infinite 
service  to  me.  I  could  not  do  without  it.  It 
is  a  most  extraordinary  language.  I  believe 
wolves,  rocks,  woods,  and  snow  understand  it, 
for  I  have  addressed  them  all  in  it,  and  they 
have  all  been  very  complaisant  to  me.  We 
had  a  Scythian  at  table,  who  belongs  to  the 
Royal  Society  of  Physicians  here.  The  mo- 
ment he  knew  me  and  my  designs,  he  became 
my  friend  ;  and  it  will  be  by  his  generous  as- 
sistance, joined  with  that  of  Professor  Pallas, 
that  I  shall  be  able  to  procure  a  royal  pass- 
port, without  which  I  cannot  stir.  This  must 
be  done  through  an  application  to  the  French 
minister,  there  being  no  American  minister 
here ;  and  to  his  secretary  I  shall  apply  with 
Dr.  Pallas  to-morrow,  and  shall  take  the  lib- 
erty to  make  use  of  your  name,  and  that  of 
the  Marquis  de  Lafayette,  as  to  my  character. 
As  all  my  letters  of  recommendation  were  Eng- 
lish, and  as  I  have  hitherto  been  used  by  the 
English  with  the  greatest  kindness  and  respect, 
I  first  applied  to  the  British  minister,  but  with- 
out success.     The  apology  was,  that  the  pres- 


;i 


■,1!  ' 


250 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


p:,: 


'^:i;^:i 


'O 


'^  1   'H 


ent  political  condition  between  Russia  and 
England  would  make  it  disagreeable  for  the 
British  minister  to  ask  any  favor.  The  secre- 
tary of  the  French  embassy  will  despatch  my 
letter,  and  one  of  his  accompanying  it,  to  the 
Coi-  *  Segur  to-morrow  morning.  I  will  en- 
deav  ;  to  write  you  again  before  I  leave  Pe- 
tersburg, and  give  you  some  further  accounts 
of  myself.  Meantime,  I  wish  you  health.  I 
have  written  a  short  letter  to  the  Marquis. 
Adieu." 

It  will  be  remembered,  that  at  this  time  the 
Empress  was  absent  on  her  famous  jaunt  to  Ker- 
son  and  the  Krimea.  She  had  left  Petersburg 
in  January,  accompanied  by  Prince  Potemkin, 
and  many  others  of  the  courtiers,  and  of  the 
Russian  nobility.  The  Austrian  and  French 
ambassadors  were  also  in  her  train.  She  passed 
through  Smolensk,  and  was  now  at  Kief, 
where  she  remained  amidst  a  brilliant  assem- 
blage of  nobles  from  Poland  and  her  Russian 
territories,  till  the  spring  was  so  far  advanced, 
that  she  could  proceed  by  water  down  the 
Dnieper,  in  the  magnificent  galleys  prepared 
for  the  purpose. 

While  the  Empress  and  her  retinue  were  at 
Kief,  a  round  of  splendid  entertainments,  cere- 
monies, and  visits  from  eminent  personages, 
occupied  her  time,  and  absorbed  her  thoughts, 


n 


JOHN     L  E  D  Y  A  11 D  , 


251 


in  addition  to  the  great  political  projects, 
which  she  is  said  to  have  been  meditating  in 
regiird  to  tlie  conquest  of  Turkey.  Had  the 
French  ambassador  found  an  opportunity,  there- 
fore, amidst  these  scenes  of  gayety  and  bustle, 
to  present  a  petition  to  the  Empress  from  an 
imknown  individual,  for  a  passport  to  travel 
through  her  dominions,  it  could  not  be  thought 
strange,  that  she  should  have  neglected  to  at- 
tend to  it  with  the  promptness,  which  more 
important  affairs  might  require.  Weeks  passed 
away,  and  no  answer  was  returned.  Ledyard's 
patience  was  severely  tried  by  this  delay,  and 
iie  began  to  talk  of  going  forward  without  any 
passport.  On  the  15th  of  May,  after  waiting 
nearly  two  months  at  Petersburg,  he  writes  to 
Colonel  Smith,  "  My  heart  is  oppressed ;  my 
designs  are  generous ;  why  is  my  fate  other- 
wise ?  The  Count  Segnr  has  not  yet  sent  me 
my  passport.  But  this  shall  not  stop  me  ,  I 
shall  surmount  all  things,  and  at  least  deserve 
success."  About  this  time  he  became  acquaint- 
ed with  a  Russian  officer,  who  belonged  to 
the  family  of  the  Grand  Duke,  and  who  took 
a  lively  interest  in  his  concerns,  and  proffered 
his  servic<^<5.  Ledyard  says,  he  was  not  only 
"  poHte  and  friendly,  but  a  thinking  Russian." 
By  the  kind  assistance  of  this  gentleman  he 
obtained  his  passport  in  fifteen  days,  and  was 
prepared  for  his  departure. 


\\ 


■5  ' 


If; 

!^ 

III 

it' 

'i 

H  I 

1'  I 


« 


lili 


T'i*! 


•I'  ^ 


m 


I 


'i"H 


W')'->f. 


Mi 


<'■ 


». '.>! 


l^■J 


.SI! 


252 


AMERICAN     B  1  O  C!  R  A  P  »  V  . 


It  was  fortunate,  t?iat  just  at  this  time  Mr. 
William  Brown,  a  Scotch  physician,  was  going 
to  the  Province  of  Kolyvan,  in  the  employ- 
ment of  the  Empress.  Ledyard  joined  him, 
and  thus  had  a  companion  on  his  tour  for 
more  than  three  thousand  miles.  From  .  this 
arrangement  he  enjoyed  an  important  advan- 
tage, for  Brown  travelled  at  ,the  expense  of  the 
government,  and  as  Ledyard  went  with  him 
by  permission  of  the  proper  authority,  his  trav- 
elling charges  were  probably  defrayed  in  part 
at  least  from  the  public  funds.  And,  indeed, 
witiiout  this  aid,  it  would  have  been  impossi- 
ble for  him  to  move  a  step,  for  his, own  re- 
sources were  completely  exhausted.  On  his 
arrival  in  Petersburg  his  necessities  were  ex- 
treme, as  his  money  was  gone,  and  he  was 
almost  destitute  of  clothes.  In  this  extremity 
he  drew  a  bill  for  twenty  guineas  on  Sir  Jo- 
seph Banks,  which  he  found  some  friend  will- 
ing to  accept,  although  he  confessed  that  Sir 
Joseph  had  not  authorized  him  to  draw,  and 
that  the  payment  of  the  bill  would  depend  on 
his  generosity.  It  was  immediately  paid  whea 
presented  in  London,  much  to  the  honor  of 
that  munificent  patron  of  science  and  enter- 
prise. It  is  said  that  a  quantity  of  stores  was 
sent,  under  the  care  oi  Dr.  Brown,  to  be  for- 
warded to  Mr.  Billings    at  Yakutsk,   who  was 


JOHN      I.KDyARD, 


253 


nmployed  in  exploring  those  remote  regions  of 
Siberia  and  Kamtschatka,  in  the  service  of  the 
Empress. 

The  party  left  Petersburg  on  the  1st  of 
June,  and  in  six  days  arrived  at  Moscow. 
During  the  last  day's  ride  they  overtook  the 
Grand  Duke  and  his  retinue,  who  were  going 
to  Moscow  to  meet  the  Empress  on  her  return 
from  her  pompous  journey  to  the  Krimea. 
The  two  travellers  remained  but  one  day  in 
Moscow.  They  hired  a  person  to  go  with 
them  to  Kazan,  a  distance  of  five  hundred  and 
fifty  miles,  and  drive  their  kibitka  with  three 
horses.  "  Kibitka  travelling."  says  Ledyard  in 
his  journal,  "  is  the  remains  of  caravan  travel- 
ling ;  it  is  your  only  home ;  it  is  like  a  ship 
at  sea."  In  this  vehicle  they  were  hurried 
along  with  considerable  speed  towards  Kazan, 
through  Vladimir,  Nishnei  Novogorod,  and  other 
towns.  Kazan  stands  on  the  right  bank  of 
the  majestic  Wolga,  and  is  the  capital  of  a 
province  of  the  same  name.  It  is  ranked 
among  the  first  cities  in  the  empire,  containing 
a  university,  churches,  convents,  and  other  pub 
lie  buildings,  some  of  which  are  magnificent, 
and  finished  with  much  architectural  taste  and 
elegance.  Immense  quantities  of  grain  are  pro-^ 
duced  in  this  province,  and  also  flax  and  leath- 
er for  exportat'on.     The  soil  is  well  cultivutod, 


!    i 


\ 


". 


254 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


^m. 


4„ 


'•■■■'1  ffP'^v 

mmmh 

t'.   •    I'w     -  hi    '  ; 


but  low  and  unhealthy,  and  the  inhabitants 
are  a  mixed  population  of  Russians  and  Tar- 
tars. 

They  stayed  a  week  at  Kazan,  and  then 
commenced  their  journey  to  Tobolsk,  where 
they  arrived  on  the  11th  of  July,  having  crossed 
the  Ural  Mountains,  and  passed  the  frontiers  of 
Europe  and  Asia.  The  face  of  the  country 
had  hitherto  been  level,  with  hardly  an  emi- 
nence springing  from  the  great  plain,  which 
spreads  over  the  vast  territory  from  Moscow  to 
Tobolsk. 

The  ascent  of  the  Ural  Moumains  was  so 
gradual  as  scarcely  to  form  an  exception  to 
this  general  remark,  and  nothing  could  be 
more  monotonous  and  dreary  than  the  inter- 
minable wastes  over  which  their  route  had  led 
;hem  since  leaving  Kazan,  with  here  and  there 
a  miserable  village,  and  unproductive  culture 
of  the  soil.  "  The  wretched  appearance  of  the 
inhabitants,"  says  our  journalist,  "  is  such  as 
may  generally  be  observed,  in  a  greater  or  less 
iegree,  in  those  places  which  are  so  unhappy 
as  to  be  the  frontiers  between  nations ;  like 
step-children  are  they."  This  is  especially  the 
condition  of  the  people  throughout  the  whole 
extent  of  the  China  frontiers,  that  border  on 
Russia.  It  is  the  policy  of  the  government  to 
preserve    this    belt    of  desolation,   as   a  barrier 


JOHN    M:nY.vui>. 


255 


against    the   too  easy  access  of   foreigners,  and 
as  a  means  of  preventing  contraband  trade. 

Tobolsk  is  a  city  of  considerable  interest, 
liaving  been  once  the  capital  of  all  Siberia, 
and  in  early  times  the  scene  of  a  great  battle 
between  the  renowned  hero  Yermak,  and  the 
Tartar  prince  Kontchnm  Khan,  hi  which  the 
former  was  victorious.  The  city  stands  at  the 
junction  of  two  large  rivers,  the  Tobol  and 
Irtish,  which  there  unite  and  flow  on  together, 
till  their  waters  are  mingled  with  the  Obe, 
and  thence  conveyed  to  the  Northern  Ocean. 
It  consists  of  the  upper  and  lower  town,  the 
latter  situate  on  the  margin  of  the  river,  and 
the  former  on  a  commanding  eminence,  which 
overlooks  the  lower  town  and  much  of  the 
adjacent  country.  Captain  Cochrane,  who  vis- 
ited this  place  a  few  years  ago,  was  greatly 
pleased  with  its  natural  advantages  and  scenery, 
and  the  condition  and  comforts  of  the  people. 
The  town  is  well  laid  out  into  streets,  con- 
tains handsome  churches  and  other  edifices,  > 
well  regulated  market,  and  provisions  of  a! 
kinds  in  abundance,  and  exceedingly  cheap. 

He  was  not  less  charmed  with  the  society 
for  although  Tobolsk  is  the  residence  of  ex 
iles,  they  are  such  as  have  been  sent  to  Siberii 
for  political  reasons,  and  not  malefactors,  thes< 
latter    being    accommodated    with   a    resideno 


V 


...(J  , 

ii 


256 


AMERICAN     H  1  O  (J  U  A  T  U  Y . 


'I'i'i-^' 


and  employment  mnch  farther  in  the  interior 
towards  Kamtschatka.  These  political  exiles 
are  commonly  persons  of  some  culture  and  in- 
telligence, for,  as  this  author  justly  remarks,  no 
government  banishes  fools ;  and  the  social  cir- 
cles of  the  better  sort  indicate  a  refinement 
and  happiness,  which  might  be  envied  in  more 
civilized  parts  of  the  globe.  So  much  was 
this  traveller  pleased  with  the  wild  and  beau- 
tiful scenery  on  the  banks  of  the  Irtish,  that 
he  followed  up  the  stream  to  the  borders  of 
China,  enraptured  at  every  step ;  nor  was  he 
satisfied,  till  he  had  contemplated  by  moon- 
light the  deep  solitudes  and  lofty  granite  moun- 
tains, that  constitute  the  bulwark  of  this  north- 
ern boundary  of  the  Celestial   Empire. 

But  Captain  Cochrane  was  an  amateur  trav- 
eller, wandering  for  amusement,  and  seeking 
odd  adventures  in  the  most  promising  theatre 
for  them.  Ledyard,  on  the  contrary,  was  im- 
pelled, forward  by  a  single  motive,  and  he 
would  gladly  have  annihilated  space  and  time, 
if  he  could  have  set  his  foot  the  next  moment 
on  the  American  continent.  He  did  not  trav- 
erse the  wild  wastes  of  Siberia  to  make  dis- 
coveries, gaze  at  mountains,  trace  rivers  to  their 
sources,  nor  even  to  examine  the  economy  of 
society  and  the  condition  of  the  people.  He 
had  a  soul  to  admire   whatever  was  grand  or 


!!. 


JOHN     I.  E  D  Y  A  R  D  . 


257 


beautiful  in  nature,  and  to  be  strongly  affected 
with  the  various  states  of  human  existence,  as 
his  observations  abundantly  prove  ;  bnt  he  suf- 
fored  these  to  make  an  incidental  claim  only 
on  his  attention,  keeping  them  subordinate  to 
his  great  design  and  absorbing  purpose.  Hence 
he  stopped  no  longer  in  any  plane  than  was 
necessary  to  prepare  for  a  new  dopartnre. 

Three  days  he  and  his  companion  stayed  at 
Tobolsk,  and  then  continued  their  journey  to 
Barnaoul,  the  capital  of  the  province  of  Koly- 
van.  At  this  place  he  was  to  leave  Dr.  Brown 
and  proceed  alone.  For  this  gentleman  he  had 
contracted  a  sincere  esteem,  and  was  prevailed 
upon  to  remain  in  Barnaoul  a  week,  out  of 
regard  to  the  kindness  and  in  compliance  with 
the  solicitation  of  his  friend. 

In  many  respects  Barnaoul  is  one  of  the 
most  agreeable  places  of  residence  in  Siberia. 
The  province  of  which  it  is  the  capital  is  a 
rich  mining  district,  and  this  brings  together 
ill  the  town  persons  of  science  and  respecta- 
lulity,  who  are  employed  as  public  officers  to 
superintend  the  working  of  the  mines.  The 
surrounding  country,  moreover,  is  well  suited 
to  agriculture,  abounding  in  good  lands  for  pas- 
ture and  grain,  supporting  vast  herds  of  cattle, 
and    producing    vegetables    in    great    profusion. 

VOL.    XIV.  17 


I 


II 

M 

hi 


Is 


I 


n 


^i 


t<3 


!^Hi 


11^  '  ■■■'  "^^  I 


%. 


I'-' 


■I 


258 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


Til  consequence  of  these  bounties  cf  nature, 
there  is  an  overflowing  and  cheap  market,  an 
absence  of  want,  and  much  positive  happiness 
among  the  people. 

Ledyard  v/as  lodged,  at  Barnaoul,  in  the 
house  of  the  treasurer,  by  whom  he  was  treated 
with  great  hospitality.  He  dined  twice  with 
the  Governor,  and  also  with  two  old  discharged 
officers  of  the  army,  who,  at  their  own  request, 
had  quitted  the  service,  and  become  judges  and 
justices  of  the  law.  The  armorial  bearings  of 
forty-iwo  provinces  in  the  empire  were  shown 
to  him.  The  Governor  told  him,  that  the  salt, 
produced  by  the  salt  lakes  in  the  province  of 
KolyvLin,  yielded  somewhat  more  to  the  reve- 
nue than  the  mines,  and  also  that  the  aggre- 
gate amount  of  revenue  from  that  province 
was  greater  than  from  any  other.  In  respact 
to  gold  and  rilver,  this  is  no  doubt  the  case 
at  tfie  present  day,  but  in  regard  to  the  salt 
il  is  ur.certaiii.  There  are  said  to  be  salt 
lakes  n  Sibt'rja,  so  much  saturated  with  saline 
matter,  that  the  salt  crystallizes  of  its  own  ac- 
cord, imd  adheres  in  this  state  to  pieces  of 
wood  .md  other  substances  put  into  the  water. 

Koly^an  is  near  the  middle  point  between 
Petersbuig  and  Okotsk,  it  being  somewhat 
more    than    three    thousand    miles   in  opposite 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


259 


directions  to  each  of  those  places.*  Barnaoul 
stands  on  the  bank  of  the  River  Obe,  which 
is  a  broad  and  noble  stream  where  it  passes 
the  town.  It  is  in  the  fifty-third  degree  of 
north  latitude,  and  in  the^last  week  of  July 
the  mo'nings  were  exceedingly  hot,  the  sky 
cloudless  and  serene,  and  the  atmosp;  -^re  per- 
fectly calm.  In  the  afternoon  a  gentle  breeze 
Would  spring  up,  increase  by  degrees  till  even- 
ing, and  continue  through  the  night.  Rains 
are  not  frecpient  in  Kolyvan. 

The  following  extract  is  from  that  part  of 
the  journal  which  was  written  at  Barnaoul, 
and  contains  remarks  on  what  came  under  the 
writer's  notice  during  his  journey  to  that 
place. 

"  The  face  of  the  country  from  Petersburg 
to  Kolyvan  is  one  continued  plain.      The   soil 


V 


K 


*  In  his  Journal,  Ledyard  enters  the  following  distances, 
which  he  says  were  taken  from  a  Russian  Almanac.  In 
the  second  column  I  have  reduced  the  versts  to  English 
miles.     Three  versts  are  equal  to  two  miles. 

Versts.  Mil(;3 

From  Petersburg  to  Barnaoul, 4539  .  . .  3026 

"      Barnaoul  to  Irkutsk, 1732  . . .  I15.> 

«      Irkutsk  to  Yakutsk, 22fJ6  . . .  15 '  'J 

«      Yakutsk  to  Okotsk, , . . .    J>52  . .  .    G'j5 

"      Okotsk  to  Awateka  in  Kamtschatka, .  .  1065  . . .    710 

Whole  distance  from  Petersburg  to  Kamt-  )  ,q  eg^  70S«' 
schatka, ) 


V 


,-(► 


■"■■■m 


m 

'1^^;' 


■iff 


I 


m 


hfr 


i|. 


AS 


260 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY, 


before  arriving  at  Kazan  is  very  well  culti- 
vated ;  afterwards  cultivation  gradually  ceases. 
On  the  route  to  Kazan  we  saw  large  mounds 
of  earth,  often  of  twenty,  thirty,  and  forty  feet 
elevation,  which  I  conjectured,  and  on  inquiry 
found,  to  be  ancient  sepulchres.  There  is  an 
analogy  between  these  and  our  own  graves, 
and  the  Egyptian  pyramids;  and  an  exact  re- 
semblance between  them,  and  those  piles  sup- 
posed to  be  of  monumental  earth,  which  are 
found  among  some  of  the  tribes  of  North  Amer- 
ica. We  first  saw  Tartars  before  our  arrival 
at  Kazan  ;  and  also  a  woman  with  her  nails 
painted   red,  like  the  Cochin  Chinese. 

'•  Notwithstanding  the  modern  introduction 
of  linen  into  Russia,  the  garments  of  the  peas- 
antry still  retain  not  only  the  form,  but  the 
manner  of  ornamenting  them,  which  was  prac- 
tised when  they  wore  skins.  This  resembles 
the  Tartar  mode  of  ornamenting,  and  is  but  a 
modification  of  the  wampum  ornament,  which 
is  still  discernible  westward  from  Rusf^ia  to 
Denmark,  among  the  Finlanders,  Laplanders, 
and  Swedes.  The  nice  gradation  by  which 
I  pass  from  civilization  to  incivilization  af>- 
pears  in  everything ;  in  manners,  dress,  lan- 
guage ;  and  particulariy  in  that  remarkable  and 
important  circumstance,  color,  which  I  am  now 
fully  convinced   originates  from  f.atural   cause*, 


JOHN      L  E  1)  Y  A  R  D 


261 


and  is  the  effect  of  externa)  and  local  circnm- 
stances.  1  think  the  same  of  feature.  I  see 
here  the  large  mouth,  the  thick  lip,  the  broad 
flat  nose,  as  well  as  in  Africa.  I  see  also,  in 
the  same  village,  as  great  a  difference  of  com- 
plexion ;  from  the  fair  hair,  fair  skin,  and  white 
eyes,  to  the  olive,  the  black  jetty  hair  and 
eyes ;  and  these  all  of  the  same  language, 
same  dress,  and,  I  suppose,  same  tribe. 

"  I  have  frequently  observed  in  Russian  vil- 
lages, obscure  and  dirty,  mean  and  poor,  that 
the  women  of  the  peasantry  paint  their  faces, 
both  red  and  white,  I  have  had  occasion 
from  this  and  other  circumstances  to  suppose, 
that  the  Russians  are  a  people  who  have  been 
early  attached  to  luxury.  They  are  everywhere 
fond  of  eclat.  '  Sir,'  said  a  Russian  officer  to 
me  in  Petersburg,  *  we  j)ay  no  attention  to 
anything  but  cclat.^  The  "contour  of  their 
manners  is  Asiatic,  and  not  European.  The 
Tartars  are  universally  neater  than  the  Rus- 
sians, particularly  in  their  houses.  The  Tar- 
tar, however  situated,  is  a  voluptuary  ;  and  it 
is  an  original  and  striking  trait  in  their  char- 
acter, frorri  the  Grand  Seignior  to  him  who 
pitches  his  tent  on  the  wild  frontiers  of  Rus- 
sia and  China,  that  they  are  more  addicted  to 
real  sensual  pleasure  than  any  other  people. 
The  Emperor  of  Germany,  the  Kings  of  Eng- 


il-'*.1 


\i  r. 


:^ 


5^^  m 


'■■f. 

r  • 


202 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


land  and  France,  have  pursuits  that  give  an 
entirely  different  turn  to  their  enjoyments ;  and 
so  have  their  respective  subjects.  Would  a 
Tartar  live  on  Vive  le  Roil  Would  he  spend 
ten  years  in  constructing  a  watch,  or  twenty 
in  forming  a  telescope  ? 

"In  the  United  States  of  America,  as  in 
Russia,  we  have  made  an  effort  to  convert  our 
Tartars  to  think  and  act  like  us  ;  but  to  what 
effect  ?  Among  us,  Sampson  Occum  was  pushed 
the  farthest  within  the  pale  of  civilization  ;  but 
just  as  the  sanguine  divine  who  brought  him 
there  was  forming  the  highest  expectations,  he 
fled,  and  sought  his  own  elysium  in  the  bosom 
of  his  native  forests.  In  Russia  they  have 
had  none  so  distinguished  ;  here  they  are  com- 
monly footmen,  or  lackeys  of  some  other  kind. 
The  Marquis  de  Lafayette  had  a  young  Amer- 
ican Tartar,  of  tfte  Onandaga  tribe,  who  came 
to  see  him ;  and  the  Marquis,  at  much  expense, 
equipped  him  in  rich  Indian  dresses.  After 
staying  some  time,  he  did  as  Occum  did. 
When  I  was  at  school  at  Mount  Ida,  [Dart- 
mouth College,]  many  Indians  were  there,  most 
of  whom  gave  some  promise  of  being  civilized, 
and  some  were  sent  forth  to  preach  ;  but  us 
far  as  I  observed  myself,  and  have  been  since 
informed,  they  all  retunud  to  the  home  and 
customs  of  *heir  fathers,   and  followed    the  in- 


but 


JOHN     L  E  D  Y  A  R  D 


263 


clinatioiis  which  nature  had  so  deeply  en- 
staraped  on  their  character." 

To  these  remarks  is  here  added  part  of  a 
letter,  written  to  Mr.  Jefferson  from  Barnaoul, 
dated  on  the  29th  of  July,  1787. 

"  How  I  have  come  thus  far,  and  how  I  am 
to  go  still  further,  is  an  enigma  that  I  must 
disclose  to  you  on  some  happier  occasion.  1 
shall  never  be  able,  without  seeing  you  in  per- 
son, and  perhaps  not  then,  to  inform  you  how 
universally  and  circumstantially  the  Tartars  re- 
semble the  Aborigines  of  America.  They  are 
the  same  people ;  the  most  ancient  and  the 
most  numerous  of  any  other  ;  and  had  not  a 
small  sea  divided  them,  they  would  all  have 
been  still  known  by  the  san.t^  name.  The 
cloak  of  civilization  sets  as  ill  'ipon  them,  as 
upon  our  American  Tartars.  They  have  been 
a  long  time  Tartars,  and  it  will  be  a  long 
time  before  thny  will  be  any  other  kind  of 
people. 

"  I  shall  send  this  letter  to  Petersburg,  to 
the  care  of  Professor  Pallas.  He  will  transmit 
it  to  you,  together  with  one  for  the  Marquis, 
in  the  m.ni  of  the  Count  Segur.  My  health 
is  perfectly  good  ;  but  notwithstanding  the 
vis'or  of  my  body,  my  mind  keeps  the  start  of 
ras,  and  I  anticipate  my  future  fate  with  the 
most  liv3^y  ardor.      Pity  it  is,  that  in   such   a 


n 

hi 


ill 


M 


I 


'I 


if 


I    ' 


t       '  lj»f  ,/Ja  !,:;•  r 


264 


AMERICAN     B  I  0  G  K  A  r  H  Y  . 


career  one  should  be  subjected,  liJce  i  horse, 
to  the  beggarly  impediments  of  sleep  and 
hunger. 

''  The  banks  of  the  large  rivers  in  this  coun- 
try everywhere  abound  with  something  curious 
in  the  fossil  world.  I  have  found  the  leg-bonu 
of  a  very  large  animal  on  the  banks  of  the 
Obe,  and  have  sent  it  to  Dr.  Pallas,  requesting 
him  to  render  me  an  account  of  it  hereafter. 
It  is  either  an  elephant's  or  rhinoceros's  bone. 
The  latter  aniihal  has  been  in  this  country. 
There  is  a  complete  head  of  one  in  a  state  of 
high  preservation  at  Petersburg.  I  am  a  cu.i- 
osity  here  myself.  Those  who  have  heard  of 
America  flock  round  to  see  me.  Unforliniate- 
ly  the  marks  on  my  hands*  procure  me  and 
my  countrymen  the  appellation  of  wild  men. 
Among  the  better  sort  we  are  somewhat  more 
known.  The  Governor  and  his  family  have 
got  a  peep  at  the  history  of  our  existence, 
through  the  medium  of  an  antiquated  pam- 
phlet of  some  kind.  We  have,  however,  two 
stars,  that  shine  even  in  the  galaxy  of  Bar- 
naoul,  and  the  healths  of  Dr.  Franklin  and  of 
General  Washington  have  been  drunk,  in  com- 
pliment to  me,  at  the  Governor's  table.  I  am 
treated    with     the     greatest     hospitality    here. 


The  tattoo  marks  made  on  his  hands  at  Otaheite. 


i 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


265 


Hitherto  1  have  fared  comfortably  when  1 
could  make  a  port  anywliere,  but  when  totally 
ill  the  country  I  have  been  a  i't^lb  incom- 
moded. Hospitality,  however,  I  have  found  as 
universal  as  the  face  of  man.  When  you  read 
this,  perhaps  two  months  before  you  do,  if  I 
do  well,  I  shall  be  at  Okotsk,  where  I  will  do 
myself  the  honor  to  trouble  you  again,  and  if 
possible  will  write  more  at  large.  My  com- 
plimants  wait  on  all  my  Parisian  friends." 

After  spending  a  week  very  agreeably  in 
Barnaoul,  he  made  preparations  for  recommen- 
cing his  journey.  From  this  place  to  Irkutsk, 
it  was  arranged  that  he  should  travel  post, 
with  the  courier  who  had  charge  of  the  mail. 
All  things  being  in  readiness,  he  writes,  "  I 
waited  on  the  Governor  with  my  passport ;  he 
was  well  pleased  with  it ;  gave  me  a  corporal 
to  conduct  the  affairs  of  the  mail ;  said  I  had 
nothing  to  do  but  sit  in  the  kabitka,  and  mus- 
tered up  French  enough  to  say,  Monsieur,  je 
vous  souhaite  un  bon  voyage.  I  took  an  affec- 
tionate farewell  of  the  worthy  Dr.  Brown,  and 
left  Barnaoul."  The  next  stopping  place  on 
the  route  was  Tomsk,  distant  three  hundred 
miles,  which  were  passed  over  in  two  days 
and  three  nights.  The  River  Tom,  which 
flows  near  this  town,  is  as  large  as  the  Irtish, 
where   it  is  crossed   by  the   main  road  above 


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266 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


Mil 
1$ ' 


Tobolsk,  and  was  the  first  river  met  with  by 
our  traveller  since  leaving  Petersburg,  which 
had  either  a  gravelly  bottom  or  shore.  On  its 
banks  were  found  little  mounds  of  earth,  which 
were  ascertained  to  have  been  the  habitations 
of  the  natives,  who  dwelt  there  before  the 
conquest  of  the  country  by  the  Russians.* 
The  nights,  he  remarked,  were  very  cold,  more 
so  than   he    had  known  them  in  any  country. 

*  In  Bell's  Journey  from  Petersburf^  to  Pekin,  with  tho 
Russian  embassy,  in  the  year  1720,  the  author  gives  a  cu 
rious  account  of  the  mounds  in  the  regions  about  Tomsk 
He  considers  them  the  tombs  of  ancient  heroes,  who  fell 
in  battle.  "Many  persons  go  from  Tomsk,"  he  observes, 
"  and  other  parts,  every  summer,  to  these  graves,  which  tliey 
dig  up,  and  find  among  the  ashes  of  the  dead  considera- 
ble quantities  of  gold,  silver,  brass,  and  some  precious 
stones;  but  particularly  hilts  of  swords  and  armor.  They 
find,  also,  ornaments  of  saddles  and  bridles,>and  other  trap- 
pings for  horses ;  and  even  the  bones  of  horses,  and  some- 
times those  of  elephants.  Whence  it  appears  that,  when 
any  general  or  person  of  distinction  was  interred,  all  his 
arms,  his  favorite  horse,  and  servant  were  buried  with  hii,; 
in  the  same  grave.  This  custom  prevails  to  this  day 
among  the  Kalmuks  and  other  Tartars,  and  seems  to  be 
of  great  antiquity.  It  appears  from  the  number  of  graves, 
that  many  thousands  must  have  fallen  on  these  plains,  for 
t.ho  people  have  continued  to  dig  for  such  treasure  many 
years,  and  still  find  it  unexhausted.  They  a.e  somethnes, 
indeed,  interrupted  and  robbed  of  all  their  booty  by  par- 
ties of  the  Kalmuks,  who  abhor  the  disturbing  the  asbei 
oCthQ  d«ii$L"    YqU  I.  p.  95a 


im 


■\  I 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


267 


where  it  was  at  the  same  time  so  hot  by  day. 
All  the  way  from  Barnaoul,  and  particularly  in 
its  neighborliood,  were  perceived  the  ruinous 
effects  of  the  violent  winds,  that  frequently 
produce  great  devastation  in  those  parts  of 
Siberia.  Forest  trees  and  fields  of  grain  were 
indiscriminately  blown  down  and  destroyed. 
The  hospitality  of  the  inhabitants,  however, 
was  unabated.  They  could  rarely  be  prevailed 
upon  to  take  anything  for  provisions  or  accom- 
modation. On  one  occasion,  for  as  much  bar- 
ley soup,  onions,  qiiass*  bread,  and  milk,  as 
made  a  hearty  meal  for  the  traveller  and  his 
corporal,  the  good  woman,  who  furnished  them, 
consented  to  receive  one  kopeek,  and  nothing 
more.f 

They  were  detained  two  or  three  days  at 
Tomsk,  waiting  for  a  mail,  that  was  cfjinjiig 
by  another  route  from  Tobolsk  ;  but  the  Ooiil 
mandant  was  affable  and  generous,  and  did  not 
allow  the  time  to  pass  heavily.  He  was  somB- 
what  of  a  singularity,  being  a  Frenchuj'tij, 
born    in    Paris,   now    seventy-three    j/HUfB    old, 

*  The  German  translator  of  tlila  wofh  dtiflllftU  flifrtW  Ui 
be  a  beverage  prepared  from  rye  bread,  or  feriiie|j|d(|  f|^ 
meal. 

t  The  value  of  the  kopeek  varies  at  diflffere|jl  titiion,  J|P^ 
yard  states  it  to  have  been  about  one  tenth  nf  n|i  pttfi 
lish  penny,  when  ho  was  in  Siberia.  In  jlr  f 'lurke's  ^mv 
els  it  is  put  down  as  equal  to  af|  |i}nglit^li  |l'l|/)f!MIM^< 


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268 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


having  resided  twenty-five  years  in  Siberia, 
and  more  than  thirty  in  Russia.  He  spoke  his 
native  language  imperfectly,  and  wrote  it  still 
worse.  His  favorite  topic  was  the  dignity  of 
his  birth,  and  the  high  rank  of  his  family. 
But  Ledyard  wished  to  know  more  about  Si- 
beria at  that  moment,  than  of  the  genealogy 
or  rank  of  the  families  in  France,  and  he  vou- 
tured  to  ask  the  cM  man  if  the  town,  or  its 
environs,  afforded  anything  valuable  or  curious 
in  natural  history.  His  answer  was,  that  there 
were  thieves,  rogues,  liars,  and  villains  of  every 
description.  The  conversation  was  pushed  no 
further  in  the  way  of  philosophical  ine[uiry,  for 
it  was  evident  the  Frenchman's  thoughts  had 
run  very  little  in  that  channel. 

There  was  truth  in  liis  remark,  although 
uttered  somewhat  out  of  place.  Tomsk  ha*! 
long  been  the  rendezvous  of  the  worst  class 
of  exiles,  who  had  been  banished  for  their 
crimes,  and  could  not  be  expected  to  exercise 
a  very  salutary  influence  on  society,  or  to  be- 
come pattern  members  of  it  themselves.  Pov- 
erty and  wretchedness,  the  accompaniments  of 
vice,  formed  here  some  of  the  prominent  ob- 
jects in  the  foreground  of  the  picture,  and  beg- 
gars daily  thronged  the  streets,  as  in  the  most 
populous  regions  of  the  civilized  world. 

The  charity  and  kind   feelings  of  the  better 


JOHN      LEDVARD, 


2G9 


sort  of  inhabitants,  however,  afforded  a  plcas- 
nig  contrast  to  this  debasement  and  suff'eriiig. 
Ledyard  observes,  that  tlie  family  with  wlioui 
he  lodged,  were  accustomed  every  morning  to 
lay  aside  in  the  window  ten  or  twelve  farthing 
pieces  for  the  charitable  purposes  of  the  day. 
Considering  the  extraordinary  cheapness  of 
food,  this  would  afford  relief  to  many  persons. 
The  beggars  began  their  rounds  at  an  early 
hour,  and  went  regularly  from  house  to  house, 
and  were  very  rarely  sent  away  without  some- 
thing. Those  who  did  not  give  money  gave 
bread.  Some  of  the  beggars  were  in  irons. 
The  peopjle  asked  no  questions,  but  apfjeared 
to  give  cheerfully  and  without  grudging.  The 
demand  v.as  uniformly  made  pour  P amour  de 
DieUj  "  for  which,''  says  the  journalist,  "  one 
may  have  more  in  this  country,  than  hi  any 
other  I  have  seen." 

In  ten  clays  from  the  tiiiiC  of  leaving  Tomsk, 
the  traveller  and  his  corporal  were  safely  ar- 
rived in  Irkutsk,  over  a  road*  of  which  he 
speaks  in  no  terms  o.  commendation.  The 
River  Yenissey  was  crossed  at  the  towi;  of 
Krasnojarsk,  where  the  Commandant  pressed 
him  to  stop  long  enough  to  dine,  and  cele- 
brated the  ev'jiit  of  a  stranger's  arrival,  with 
such  free  potations  as  to  become  intoxicated. 
From  Tomsk   to  Yenissey   the   country  exhib- 


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AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


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ited  rather  an  agreeable  aspect,  and  marks  of 
c4iltivation.  Ledyard  observes  that,  in  this  re- 
gion, he  "  first  finds  the  real  craggy,  peaked 
hill,  or  mountain,"  and  from  Krasuojarsk  to 
Irkutsk  was  the  first  stony  road  which  he 
had  passed  over  in  the  Russian  dominions. 
The  streets  of  Tobolsk,  and  some  of  the  other 
towns  on  his  route,  were  paved  with  wood. 

"Passing  on  east  from  the  Yenissey  to  Ir- 
kutsk, the  country  is  thinly  peopled.  A  very 
few,  and  those  miserable  houses  are  to  be  seen 
on  the  road,  and  none  at  all  at  a  distance  from 
it.  The  country  is  hilly,  rough,-  mountainous, 
and  covered  with  thick  forests.  The  rivers 
here,  also,  have  all  rocky  beds,  and  are  rapid 
in  the  degree  of  three  to  five  miles  an  hour. 
The  autumnal  rains  are  begun,  and  they  have 
set  in  severely.  I  am  now  in  Irkutsk,  and 
have  stayed  in  my  quarters  all  day  to  take  a 
little  rest,  after  a  very  fatiguing  journey,  ren- 
dered so  by  sundry  very  disagreeable  circum- 
stances; going  with  the  courier,  and  driving 
with  wild  Tartar  horses,  at  a  most  rapid  rate, 
over  a  wild  and  ragged  country  ;  breaking  and 
upsetting  kibitkas ;  bes warmed  with  mosqui- 
toes ;  all  the  way  hard  rains ;  and  when  I  ar- 
rived at  Irkutsk  I  was,  and  had  been  for  the 
last  forty-eight  hours,  wet  through  and  through, 
and  covered  with  one  complete  mass  of  mud." 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


271 


CHAPTER   IX. 

Residence  at   Irkutsk.  —  Account  of  the   Tartars. 

—  Fur  Trade  on  the  American  Coast.  —  Lake 
Baikal.  —  Leaves  Irkutsk  for  the  River  Lena. 

—  Scenery  around  the  Baikal.  —  Estimate  of 
the  Number  of  Rivers  in  Siberia.  —  Pro- 
ceeds down  the  Lena  in  a  Bateau.  —  Hospi- 
tality of  the  Inhabitants.  —  Ends  his  Voyage 
at   Yakutsk. 


Ledyard  stayed  in  Irkutsk  about  ten  days, 
and  his  observations  and  general  reflections 
during  that  time  may  be  best  understood  by 
extracts  from  his  journal,  as  they  were  written 
on  the  spot.  They  are  rather  in  the  nature 
of  hints  and  first  thoughts,  than  of  a  regular 
narrative;  but  they  will  show  his  inquisitive 
turn  of  mind,  and  his  eagerness  for  acquiring 
such  knowledge  as  accorded  witli  the  general 
objects  of  his  travels. 

"  AuiTust  16th.  I  have  not  been  out  this 
morning,  but  I  shrewdly  suspect  by  what  I  see 
from  my  poor  talc  window,  that  I  shall  even 
here  find  the  fashionable  follies,  the  ridiculous 
extravagance,  and  ruinous  eclat  of  Petersburg. 
I  have  been  out,  and  my  suspicions  were  well 
founded.      Dined    with  a  brigadier,   a   colonel, 


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272 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


and  a  major,  a  little  out  of  town ;  they  are 
Germans.  Had  at  the  table  a  French  exile, 
who  had  been  an  adjutant.  Scarcely  a  day 
passes  but  an  exile  of  some  sort  arrives.  Most 
of  the  inhabitants  of  this  remote  part  of  Sibe- 
ria are  convicts.  The  country  here  was  fi  i- 
merly  inhabited  by  the  Mongul  or  Kalmuk 
Tartars,  who  are,  I  conclude,  the  same  people. 
Find  no  account  of  the  Calumet.*  The  French 
exile  had  been  at  Quebec,  and  thiriKs  the 
Tartars  here  much  inferior  to  the  American 
Indians,  both  in  their  understanding  and  per- 
sons. I  observe  the  Tongusians  have  not  the 
Mongul  or  Kalmuk  faces,  but  moderately  loiig, 
and  considerably  like  the  European  face.  These 
Tongusians  form  the  second  class  of  Tartars, 
so  obviously  distinguishable  by  their  features 
from  other  Tartars,' and  from  Europeans.  What 
I  call  the  third  class  are  the  light  eyed  and 
fair  complex ioned  Tartars,  which  class,  I  be- 
lieve, includes  the  Cossacs.  The  Tchuktchi 
are  the  only  northern  Tartars  that  remain  un- 
subjected  to  the  government. 

"  The  town  of  Irkutsk  is  the  residence  of 
the  Governor-General,  Jacobi,  and  of  a  military 
commander,  and  luas  in  it  two  battalions  of  in- 

•  A  pipe  adorned  with  feathers,  and  used  as  the  symbol 
of  peace  by  the  Indiiins  of  North  America. 


J  O  II  V     I.  E  D  Y  A  R  D  . 


fautry.  It  has  two  thousand  poor  log  liouses, 
and  ten  churches.  Jacobi's  authority  extends 
from  here  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  an  immense 
territory.  I  waited  this  morning  on  the  di- 
rector of  the  bank,  Mr.  Karamyscheff,  who  was 
a  pupil  of  Linna3us.  He  is  very  assiduous  to 
oblige  me  in  everything,  and  sent  for  three 
Kalmuks  in  the  dress  of  their  country.  Noth- 
ing particularly  curious  about  them,  but  their 
pipes,  which  are  coarsely  made  of  copper  by 
themselves ;  the  forrh  altogether  Chinese.  Ka- 
ramyscheff informs  me,  that  the  Monguls  and 
Kalmuks  are  the  same  people.  Prom  his  house 
I  went  with  the  ConseiUer  (VEtat,  who  intro- 
duced me  to  Jacobi,  the  Governor.  He  is  an 
old,  venerable  man,  and  although  I  believe, 
with  Pallas,  that  he  is  un  homme  de  bois,  yet 
he  received  me  standing  and  uncovered.  Our 
conversation  was  merely  respecting  my  going 
with  the  post,  which  he  granted  me,  and,  be- 
sides, told  me  that  I  should  be  particularly 
well  accommodated,  wished  me  a  successful 
voyage,  and  that  my  travels  might  be  produc- 
tive of  information  to  mankind.  I  conversed 
with  him  in  French,  through  the  interpretation 
of  the  ConseiUer. 

"  This  latter  gentleman  gave  me  the  follow- 
ing information.  '  The  white  Tartars  you  saw 
about  Kazan  are  natives  of   that  country,  and 

VOL.    XIV.  18 


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274 


A  .M  E  11  l.C  A  N     BIOGRAPHY. 


we  call  them  Kazan  Tartars.  Kazan  was  once 
a  kingdom  of  theirs.  From  this  place  to  Ya- 
kutsk you  pass  among  the  Kalmuks.  At  Ya- 
kutsk you  will  see  the  Yakuti,  and  also  the 
Tongusians,  who  are  more  personable  than  the 
Kalmuks  or  Monguls,  and  more  sensible ;  but 
the  Yakuti  are  more  sensible  than  either.  They 
are,  indeed,  a  people  of  good  natural  parts  and 
genius,  and  by  experience  are  found  capable 
of  any  kind  of  learriing.  From  Yakutsk  you 
pass  through  the  Tongusians,  all  the  way  to 
Okotsk.  In  the  time  of  Jenghis  Khan,  the 
Thibet  Tartars,  that  is,  the  Kalmuks,  or  Mon- 
guls, made  incursions  into  this  country.  We 
have  two  hundred  thousand  Russians,  and,  as 
nearly  as  we  can  estimate,  half  that  number 
of  Indians  of  all  descriptions  in  this  province. 
Marriages  in  and  near^the  villages  take  place 
between  the  Russians  and  Tartars,  but  they 
are  not  frequent.  I  believe  the  extreme  cold, 
and  want  of  snow  here  during  the  winter,  and 
the  sudden  change  of  weather  in  the  summer, 
to  be  the  reason  why  we  can  have  no  fruit 
here.  We  have  often,  in  the  months  of  May 
and  June,  ice  three  and  four  inches  thick.  Be- 
sides, this  country,  as  you  have  observed,  is 
subject  to  terrible  gales  of  wind,  which  blow 
away  both  bud  and  blossom.  We  have  never- 
theless  a  few   little    apples,  which    we  eat  at 


JOHN     LEI)  YARD. 


275 


our    tables,  and    they  are    not  without  flavor.' 
Thus  much  the  Conseiller. 

"  The  forest  trees  in  this  country  are  ahnost 
altogetlier  birch  ;  they  are  generally  rotten  at 
the  heart.  Mr.  Karamyscheff  telhi  me,  that 
there  are  many  bones  of  the  rhinoceros  in 
these  parts  of  Siberia,  and  also  the  same 
large  bones  that  are  found  on  the  banks  of 
the  Ohio,  in  America.  It  seems,  that  the 
places  in  which  to  find  those  bones,  and  other 
curious  fossils,  are  at  the  mouths  of  the  great 
Rivers  Yenissey,  Lena,  Kolyma,  and  others, 
among  the  islands  that  are  formed  where  they 
flow  into  the  sea.  Here  they  are  all  lodged, 
after  having  been  washed  from  under  ground 
by  the  rivers,  in  the  diff'erent  countries  which 
they  traverse. 

"  August  17th.  To-day,  it  seems,  the  jubilee 
is  observed,  on  account  of  the  Empress  hav- 
ing reigned  twenty-five  years.  In  coming  from 
Karamyscheff"s,  1  met  the  Governor-General 
and  his  suite  of  ofiicers,  the  brigadier  I  dined 
with  yesterday,  and  other  dignitaries,  to  the 
number  of  two  hundred,  all  going  to  dine  with 
the  Governor,  who  keeps  open  house  on  the 
occasion.  The  Governor  and  other  oificers  sa- 
luted me  as  they  passed ;  those  who  did  not 
know  me  wondering  what  could  procure  such 
attention  to  one   so   poorly  and  oddly  attjreO, 


1^ 


Nlllii 


276 


A  M  [:  HI  C  A  N     BIOGRAPHY. 


I  was  pressed  by  some  of  the  company  to  go 
and  dine.  Had  my  clothes  been  good,  I  would 
have  gone.  But  I  dined  with  KaramyschefF. 
It  is  a  Tartar  name,  and  he  is  of  Tartarian 
extraction.  Saw  an  apple  tree  in  his  garden. 
The  fruit,  as  he  described  it,  would  be  as  large 
as  a  full  sized  pea  in  France  or  England.  It 
is  the  genuine  apple  tree,  and  their  naturalists 
distinguish  it  by  the  name  of  the  pyrus  baccata. 
These  are  the  only  apples  in  Siberia. 

"  Karamyscheff  says  the  Yakuti  Tartars  are 
the  veritables  Tartars,  by  which  I  understand, 
that  they  are  a  less  mixed  race  than  the  oth- 
ers. Their  language,  he  says,  is  the  oldest  lan- 
guage, and  that  other  tribes  understand  it.  Tlie 
Yakuti  formerly  possessed  this  country,  but 
they  were  driven  out  by  the  Kalmuks,  who 
made  a  succession  of  attacks  upon  them,  and 
pursued  them  to  the  Lena,  down  which  they 
fled,  and  settled  at  Yakutsk.  Karamyscheff 
has  in  his  house  four  children,  descended  from 
a  Kalmuk  father  and  Russian  mother.  The 
first  resembles  the  father,  and  is  entirely  Kal- 
muk ;  the  second  the  mother,  with  fair  hair 
and  eyes ;  one  of  the  others  is  Kalmuk,  and 
the  other  Russian.  They  are  all  healthy  and 
well  looking  children.  I  saw  three  of  them. 
Karamyscheff  knows  not  among  what  people 
to  rank  the  Kamtschadales.    He  acknowledges, 


JOHN     L  E  D  Y  V  R  n 


277 


with  me,  that  their  faces  are  entirely  Kahimk, 
but  says  they  came  from  America.  This  con- 
troverts the  common  opinion,  that  America  was 
peopled  after  Asia.  Bnt  he  is  carried  away 
with  the  wild  notions  of  the  FrQnch  natnral- 
ist  ButFon.  I  find,  universally,  that  the  Tar- 
tars wear  their  beards.  The  ears  of  Kalmnk 
or  Mongul  Tartars  project  universally  farther 
from  the  head,  than  those  of  Enrppeans.  I 
measured  the  ears  of  the  Kalmnks  at  Karamy- 
scheff's  to-day,  and  on  an  average  they  pro- 
jected one  and  a  half  inch ;  and  they  were  by 
no  means  extraordinary  examples.  The  ears 
of  the  Chinese  are  similar. 

"  We  have  French  and  Spanish  wines  here, 
but  so  adulterated,  that  I  was  told  of  it  before 
I  knew  it  to  be  wine.  Karamyscheff  is  fully 
sensible  of  the  luxury  and  vanity  I  complain 
of  in  this  country,  which  is  but  beginning  to 
begin,  as  I  told  him  to-day.  He  laments  it, 
and  declared  frankly  to  me,  that  patriotism 
and  the  true  solid  virtues  of  a  citizen  are 
hardly  known.  The  geographical  termination 
of  Russia,  and  the  commencement  of  Siberia, 
is  at  the  city  of  Perm.  The  natural  boundary 
is  the  River  Yenissey.  I  observe  that  the 
face  of  the  country  is  very  different  on  this 
side  of  the  Yenissey,  and  Karamyscheff,  who 
is  a  botanist,  says  the  vegetable  productions 
differ  as  much. 


\ 


\ 


1 


ii 


nJT  t. 


I 


Wj 


1 


278 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


im 


mi 
i 


,«■ 


^^  August  18th.  Went  this  morning  to  see 
some  curiosities  from  different  parts  of  Siberia. 
.Saw  also  a  piece  of  Sandwich  Island  cloth, 
which  was  obtained  from  Captain  Cook's  ship 
at  Kamtschatka,  when  he  was  there.  In  the 
collection  was  the  skin  of  a  Chinese  goat,  the 
hair  of  which  was  the  whitest,  longest,  and 
most  delicate  that  I  ever  saw ;  also  some  ex- 
cellent sea-otter  skins,  the  largest  of  which 
were  valued  at  two  hundred  roubles ;  likewise 
a  bow,  quiver,  and  all  the  military  apparatus 
of  a  Kalmuk,  which  was  very  heavy.  The 
Kalmuks  and  Monguls  here  receive  the  com- 
mon name  of  the  Burttti. 

'•  I  went  to  the  Archbishop's  to  see  a  young 
savage  of  the  Tchuktchi.  The  good  bishop 
had  taken  great  pains  to  humanize  him,  (as  Dr. 
Wheelock  had  done  with  Sampson  Occum, 
whose  story  1  related  on  this  occasion  ;)  but 
he  informed  us  that  he  had  lately  taken  to 
drink,  and  died  drunk ;  or,  in  the  bishop's  own 
words,  *  somebody  had  one  day  given  him 
half  a  rouble,  and  he  went  out  with  it,  J)ut 
never  returned,  and  was  found  dead  by  the 
side  of  a  Kabak.'  Dined  with  my  friend  Ka- 
ramyscheif  again  to-day,  who  presented  me,  in 
lieu  of  a  domestic,  a  young  lieutenant  to  go 
with  me  and  buy  a  few  things.  'But,'  said 
he,  *  don't   pu*,   any  money  in   his  hands  j  he 


i 


JOHN  LEDYARD. 


279 


will  not  return  it.'  We  had  at  table  the  wife 
of  a  clerk  to  Mr.  Karamyschelf,  whose  mother 
was  a  savage  from  the  Tchuktchi  regions,  and 
her  father  a  Russian.  She  is  a  fine  creature, 
and  her  complexion  a  good  middling  color.  It 
strengthens  my  opinion,  that  the  difference  of 
color  in  man  is  not  the  effect  of  any  design 
in  the  Creator,  but  of  causes  simple  in  them- 
selves, which  will  perhaps  soon  be  well  ascer- 
tained. It  is  an  extraordinary  circumstance  ; 
but  I  think  I  ought  not  on  that  account  to 
conclude,  that  it  is  not  the  result  of  natural 
causes. 

"  August  19th.  For  the  second  time  I  have 
observed,  that  in  the  wells,  about  twelve  feet 
down,  there  is  a  great  deal  of  ice  adhering  to 
the  sides.  I  -vent  this  morning  to  see  a  mer- 
chant, who  was  the  owner  of  a  vessel,  that 
had  passed  from  Kamtschatka  to  different  parts 
of  the  coast  of  America.  He  showed  me  some 
charts  rudely  descriptive  of  his  voyages ;  says 
there  are,  on  different  parts  of  the  coast  of 
America,  two  thousand  Russians ;  and  that,  as 
nearly  as  he  can  judge,  the  number  of  skins, 
procured  by  them  in  that  country,  amounts  to 
twelve  thousand.  He  has  a  vessel  at  Okotsk, 
which  leaves  that  place  for  America  next  sum- 
mer, and  he  offers  me  a  passage  in  her. 

"Dined  to-day  with  a  German  colonel,  and 


I 
I 


1 


m 


i>y,^:: 


280 


A  M  n  R I  C  A  N     BIOGRAPHY, 


lit,,  J     I  t;  /J  ■  i  1  ■ 

":* H  ^  -  ■'•■4*.  '  .■" 

■J  iT  rt     i  il    ,  ILT!\   '  rv  ■ 

^ti?       •;'?>'  5"' 
1  "iWSliKwSo  'pit 

'mm  ^ 

i^4  S\' 


after  dinner  set  ont  for  the  Lake  Baikal,  wliich, 
in  the  Kahnuk  language,  signifies  the  North 
Sea.  The  Kalmuks,  or  Mongnls,  originally- 
lived  on  the  south  of  this  lake,  towards  China 
and  Thibet.  After  a  good  and  cheerful  dimier 
with  the  colonel,  we  mounted  his  drosky,  with 
post  horses,  and  took  our  departure  for  the 
lake.  After  seven  hours'  ride  over  a  miserable 
road,  we  arrived  at  the  little  hamlet  of  St. 
Nicholas,  where  formerly  the  Russian  ambas- 
sadors resided,  before  they  embarlvcd  to  cross 
the  lake  for  China.  This  village  has  a  church 
in  it,  dedicated  to  St.  Nicholas,  and  all  the 
sailors  on  the  lake  resort  to  it.  We  lodged 
here  through  the  night,  and  early  next  morn- 
ing resumed  our  journey,  and  reached  the  bor- 
der of  the  lake.  Here  are  six  or  seven  houses, 
among  which  the  largest  was  ordered  to  be 
built  by  the  Empress  for  the  accommodation 
of  all  strangers  that  pass  this  way  ;  and  also 
a  galiot,  which  plies  as  a  packet  in  the  sum- 
mer across  the  lake. 

"We  hailed  the  galiot,  which  was  at  anchor 
in  the  lake.  The  captain  came  ashore,  and 
we  went  off  with  him  in  a  small  boat,  with 
line  and  lead  to  take  soundings ;  but  having 
only  fifty  fathoms  of  line,  and  it  raining  very 
hard,  we  could  not  make  much  progress.  At 
the   distance    of    one    hundred   feet   from    the 


F 


wliicli, 

North 

ginally 

China 

dinner 

y,  with 

or    the 

ise  ruble 

of   St. 

ambas- 

0  cross 
cliurch 
all    the 

lodged 
L  morn- 
tlie  bor- 

1  houses, 
d  to   be 
nodation 
ind   also 
le   sum- 
it  anchor 
ore,   and 
►at,  with 
t   having 
ing  very 
ress.     At 
rom    the 


JOHN     L  F.  D  Y  A  R  D  . 


281 


shore,  my  wliclo  length  of  line  was  taken  up. 
We  retired  to  the  house,  breakfasted,  and  waited 
an  hour  for  the  rain  to  abate;  but,  finding,  it 
to  continue,  we  re(|uesled  the  captain  to  send 
us  in  his  boat  to  Irkutsk.  He  complied  with 
our  request,  and  made  us  a  canopy  of  hides  to 
defend  us  from  the  rain.  We  sent  our  drosky 
back  by  the  postboy,  and  embarked  wi  b  two 
sailors  to  row  us.  Wo  passed  along  the  mar- 
gin of  the  lake  to  the  outlet,  where  the  River 
Angara  begins,  and  thence  down  the  river  to 
Irkutsk,  a  distance  of  about  fortv-five  miles. 
IMiis  lake  is  seven  hundred  and  sixty-nine 
versts  (five  hundred  and  thirteen  miles)  in  its 
longest  part,  and  sixty  versts  (for*/  miles)  in 
its  broadest.  Its  depth  is  said  (o  be  unfath- 
omable. It  has  an  annual  ebb  and  flux;  the 
one  is  caused  by  the  autumnal  rains,  and  the 
other  by  the  dry  season  in  spring.  It  has 
emptying  into  it  one  hundred  and  sixty-nine 
small  streams,  from  twenty  to  eighty  3?ards 
wide,  and  three  larger  ones  from  a  quarter  to 
half  a  mile  wide.  It  has  but  otie  outlet,  by 
which  to  dispose  of  the  redundancy  from  all 
these  influxes,  and  that  is  the  River  Angara, 
which  is  a  Kalmuk  name.  It  is  no  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  wide  where  it  springs 
from  the  lake,  is  very  shallow,  and  far  from 
being  rapid. 


'4» 


I 


If' 
I 


hit" 

i 


mm 


282 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHT. 


m 


'-  August  22d.  The  government  of  Irkutsk 
has  four  provinces,  namely,  Irkutsk,  Yakutsk, 
Nartschintsk,  and  Okotsk.  These  are  divided 
into  several  districts  each.  The  governor  sent 
me  a  surveyor,  with  the  latest  chart  of  the 
great  territory  embracing  these  provinces.  By 
measurement  I  found  its  latitudinal  extent, 
from  its  southern  extremity  to  the  Icy  Ocean 
north,  to  be  two  thousand  seven  hundied 
versts,  and  its  longitudinal  extent,  from  its 
western  boundary  to  Tchuktchi  Nos,  its  east- 
ern extremity  jit  Bering's  Strait,  to  be  three 
thousand  nine  hundred  versts. 

''  I  am  informed  by  the  Governor,  that  the 
post  will  not  be  ready  for  three  days. 

"  August  23d.  The  commerce  of  Irkutsk  is 
very  small  with  Europe,  and  consequently  at 
present  at  a  very  low  ebb,  since  there  is  no 
open  trade  with  the  Chinese,  its  r.^arest  neigh- 
bors of  a  commercial  character.  The  frontiers, 
between  this  country  and  China,  are  principally 
defended  by  an  army  of  Buretti,  or  Kalmuk 
Tartars.  They  are  mostly  horsemen,  like  the 
Cossacs  in  the  western  dominions,  and  amount 
to  more  than  five  thousand  men.  There  are 
two  convents  near  this  town,  one  of  men  and 
the  other  of  women,  separated  by  a  river.  I 
observe  in  Siberia,  tii.at  in  all  the  cities  there 
is  one  great  burying  place,  and  that  wherever 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


283 


this  is  (and  it  is  commonly  out  of  the  town) 
there  is  likewise  a  churcli,  and  the  best  church 
of  the  place.  This  is  but  another  kind  of 
pyramid,  a  large  mound,  or  a  mound  modified. 

•'  August  25th.  This  morning  I  leave  town. 
The  land  is  well  cultivated  on  the  borders  of 
the  river,  and  is  good.  Among  the  -Buretti,  or 
Kalmuks,  I  observe  the  American  moccasin,  the 
common  moccasin,  like  the  Finland  moccasin. 
The  houses  of  the  Buretti  have  octagonal 
sides,  covered  with  turf,  with  a  fireplace  in  the 
centre,  and  an  aperture  for  smoke ;  the  true 
American  wigwam,  and  like  the  first  Tartar 
house  I  saw  in  this  country,  which  was  near 
Kazan.  Mr.  Karamyscheff  says,  they  have  the 
wild  horse  on  their  Chinese  frontiers.  The 
Buretti  here  ride  and  work  the  horned  cattle ; 
they  perforate  the  cartilage  of  the  nose,  and 
put  a  cord  through  it  to  guide  them  by.  This 
is  to  'be  wondered  at,  as  the  country  is  level, 
and  they  have  vast  droves  of  horses, 

^^  August  26th.  Hard  white  frost  last  night, 
and  very  cold.  Run  away  with  by  these  furi- 
ous unbroke  Tartar  horses,  and  saved  myself 
e-^ch  time  by  jumping  out  of  the  kibitka. 
Thank  Heaven,  ninety  versts  more  will  proba- 
bly put  an  end  to  my  kibitka  journeying    for 


ever. 


>» 


Such  are  some  of  the  brief  notes  entered  in 


Ml 


\U^ 


i>'' 


^'-^sti-M 


§ 


,-v,  >!' ; '  ''■ 


mm 


281 


A  M  K  R  U;  A  N     BIOGRAPHY, 


his  journal,  while  he  was  at  Irkutsk.  He  was 
detained  on  account  of  the  delay  of  the  post, 
and  made  the  best  use  of  his  time  in  collect- 
ing such  information,  as  he  supjjosed  would  be 
serviceable  to  him  in  his  future  travels.  The 
inquiries,  of  which  he  was  peculiarly  fond,  re- 
specting the  different  races  of  men,  their  ori- 
gin, classification,  and  distinctions,  were  here 
pursued  v/ith  his  customary  diligence  and  dis- 
crimination. But  it  should  always  be  borne 
in  mind,  that  he  did  not  intend  his  journal  for 
anything  more  than  a  repository  of  loose  hints, 
which  might  assist  his  recollection  when  the 
occasion  for  using  them  should  occur.  They 
were  never  afterwards  revised  or  altered,  but 
have  been  preserved  in  the  original  form,  in 
which  he  recorded  them  on  his  journey.  This 
fact  should  claim  for  them  all  the  indulgence, 
which  their  incoherency,  or  want  of  maturity, 
may  seem  to  require. 

The  Lake  Baikal,  in  some  respects,  is  one 
of  the  most  remarkable  bodies  of  water  on  the 
globe.  Other  travellers  have  given  its  dimen- 
sions somewhat  differently  from  Ledyard,  va- 
rying from  three  hundred  to  six  hvmdred  miles 
in  length,  and  from  forty-five  to  sixty  miles  in 
width  where  it  is  the  broadest.  Ledyard  prob 
ably  measured  it  on  the  chart  just  mentioned. 
All  travellers  agree,  however,  that   the  scenery 


JOHN      L  E  D  y  A  11 1)  . 


285 


around  this  lake  is  the  most  picturesque,  bold, 
and  imposing  imaginable.  Tlie  Angara  bursts 
out  from  the  lake,  between  immense  battle- 
ments of  perpendicular  rocks,  which,  if  we  may 
judge  from  Bell's  description  of  them,  surpass 
in  grandeur  the  famous  passage  of  the  Poto-* 
mac  through  the  Blue  Ridge  at  Harper's  Fer- 
ry. For  about  a  mile  after  leaving  the  lake, 
there  is  a  continued  rapid,  extending  across  the 
whole  breadth  of  the  stream,  and  admitting  of 
no  boat  communication,  except  by  a  narrow 
channel  on  the  east  side,  up  which  boats  are 
towed,  and  propelled  with  poles,  from  the  vil- 
lage of  St.  Nicholas  into  the  lake.  Around  the 
entire  circumference  of  the  lake,  and  particu- 
larly on  the  north,  lofty  and  craggy  mountains 
are  seen  piled  one  above  another,  in  the  wild- 
est confusion,  and  masses  of  rock  rising  like 
towers  from  the  very  margin  of  the  water. 
Down  the  ravines  and  precipices  thus  formed, 
the  numerous  tributary  streams  pour  themselves 
into  this  great  reservoir.  Pallas  was  inclined 
to  believe,  that  the  enormous  gulf,  which  forms 
the  basin  of  the  Baikal,  was  caused  by  a  vio- 
lent disruption  of  the  earth,  at  some  very  re- 
mote period. 

The  Selinga,  a  river  which  empties  itself 
into  this  lake  from  the  south,  is  larger  at  its 
mouth   than    the  Angara  where  it  issues  from 


i 


!#■ 

'-K 

is 


1    ^ 


I 


illili  I '^ 

Bill 


€ 


»?' 


286 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


the  lake.  It  has  its  source  in  the  Chinese 
dominions,  and  is  navigable  for  many  miles 
into  the  interior.  Another  river,  called  the 
Eastern  Angara,  and  probably  larger  than  the 
Selinga,  comes  in  from  the  north.  To  these 
must  be  added  the  contributions  of  more  than 
a  hundred  and  sixty  other  streams  .of  various 
sizes.  It  is  difficult  to  imagine  what  becomes 
of  the  immense  quantity  of  water  thus  poured 
into  the  lake,  when  it  is  considered  that  there 
is  but  a  single  outlet.  The  width  of  this  out- 
let Ledyard  states  at  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  but 
Bell  says  it  appeared  to  him  a  mile.  In  either 
case  the  water  discharged  by  it  would  be  in 
no  proportion  to  the  quantity  which  falls  into 
the  lake. 

In  a  warmer  region,  as  in  that  where  the 
Lake  Tsad  is  situate,  in  Africa,  the  surplus 
might  be  easily  disposed  of  by  evaporation ; 
but  iu  so  cold  a  climate  as  that  of  Irkutsk, 
this  is  hardly  possible.  The  conjecture  of  an 
internal  communication  with  the  great  ocean 
would  seem  to  afford  the  only  plausible  solu- 
tion of  the  difficulty.  Lake  Superior  contains 
a  larger  body  of  water,  has  a  small  outlet,  and 
is  in  a  climate  perhaps  as  cold ;  but  it  receives 
comparatively  sleiider  contributions  from  rivers. 
A  similar  remark  ma)  be  made  as  to  the  Cas- 
pian Sea  and  the  Sea  of  Aral.     The  water  of 


m 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


287 


Chinese 
y  miles 
led  the 
mil    the 

0  these 
>re  than 

various 
Deconies 

poured 
It  there 
his  out- 
lile,  but 
n  either 
i  be  in 
ills  into 

ere  the 
surplus 
Dration ; 
Irkutsk, 
of  an 
;  ocean 
le  solu- 
contains 
let,  and 
receives 

1  rivers. 
he  Cas- 
ater  of 


the  Baikal  is  fresh.  No  bottom  has  ever  yet 
been  reached  by  the  sounding  line.  When 
Bell  crossed  it,  a  hundred  years  ago,  with  the 
Russian  ambassador,  on  his  way  to  Pekin,  a 
line  of  more  than  nine  hundred  feet  in  length 
was  let  down,  without  touching  the  bottom. 

The  report  of  Professor  Pallas  on  this  point 
is  not  so  explicit,  as  might  have  been  expected 
from  a  scientific  traveller.  He  says,  that  a  ball 
of  packthread,  weighing  more  than  an  ounces  had 
been  used  as  a  sounding  line,  but  no  bottom 
was  found.*  What  length  he  would  assign  to 
an  ounce  of  packthread  is  not  revealed  to  his 
readers.  We  have  seen,  that  one  hundred  feet 
from  the  shore,  Ledyard's  line  of  three  hun- 
dred feet  met^  with  no  obstruction.  On  all 
sides  the  shore  is  bold  and  dangerous,  with 
hardly  an  anchoring  place,  except  at  the  mouths 
of  the  large  rivers.  If  the  water  could  be  re- 
moved, there  would  probably  be  exposed  a 
cavity,  or  fissure,  equal  to  the  present  dimen- 
sions of  the  lake,  and  extending  to  a  great 
depth  into  the  earth.  Professor  Pallas  thinks 
the  ordinary  level  of  the  lake  was-  once  higher, 
and    that    it    flowed   over  the   low  country   at 

*  "  Le  Baikal  a  une  ai  grande  profondeur  dans  le  milieu, 
et  sur  les  cotes  septentrionales,  qu'on  a  d6roul6  un  peloton 
de.  ficelle  pesant  plus  d'une  once,  pour  sonder,  sans  trouver 
de  fond."     Voyages  du  Professeur  Pallas^  Tom.  VI.  p.  118. 


1^1 


I 


i 


mr 

'si'  wffi* 


m 


M 


V  ''-5 


.v*'*;  ^ 


\if' 


1 


i****!^ 


Jit"^ 


288 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


the  mouth  of  the  Selinga,  which  is  now  in- 
habited. No  lava,  or  volcanic  appearances, 
have  been  noticed  in  the  regions  about  the 
lake. 

It  is  considered  very  remarkable,  that  the 
fish  called  chien  de  mer  is  found  in  the  Baikal. 
This  is  mentioned  by  Pallas  and  Led  yard. 
The  natural  element  of  this  fish  is  the  ocean, 
and  it  is  very  rarely  known,  as  the  Professor 
says,  to  enter  rivers  even  for  a  small  distance. 
How  it  should  get  intc  the  Baikal,  a  fresh 
water  lake  at  least  three  thousand  miles  from 
the  ocean,  taking  the  windings  of  the  river 
into  the  account,  is  deemed  a  problem  of  no 
easy  solution,  especially  as  this  fish  has  never 
been  known  either  in  the  Yenissey  or  Anga- 
ra, by  which  the  waters  of  the  lake  pass  into 
the  Northern  Sea.*  He  is  not  satisfied  with 
this  course  of  migration,  and  would  look  for  a 
more  extraordinary  cause,  but  does  not  venture 
an  opinion  on  the  subject.  The  Baikal  con- 
tains seals  also,  whose  usual  residence  is  in 
the  salt  water.  Whether  they  came  up  the 
Yenissey  and  Angara,  is  another  question  to 
be  settled.  Bell  thinks  they  did.  Pallas  is 
silent  on  the  subject,  and  so  is  Ledyard.  The 
skins  of   these    seals  are  preferred  to    those  of 

*  The  Angara  falls  into  the  Yenissey  on  its  way  to  the 
ocean. 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


289 


0\V     111- 

arances, 
3iU    the 

[lat  the 
Baikal, 
icdyard. 
I  ocean, 
'rofessor 
iistaiice. 
a  fresh 
es  from 
le  river 
1  of  no 
s  never 
r  Anga- 
ass  into 
3d  with 
>k  for  a 
venture 
:al  con- 
le  is  in 
up  the 
;tioii  to 
*allas  is 
3.  The 
hose  of 

?ay  to  the 


salt  water  seals.  The  inhabitants  have  a  treach- 
erous mode  of  taking  these  animals.  In  win- 
ter the  seals  are  obliged  occasionally  to  come 
up  through  holes  in  the  ice  for  respiration; 
over  these  holes  the  seal-catcher  spreads  nets, 
in  which  the  unwary  animal  is  entangled, 
when  he  escapes  from  his  nether  element. 

In  the  part  of  the  journal  to  which  we  have 
now  come  are  contained  some  curious  specu- 
lations respecting  the  number  of  rivers  in  Si- 
beria, and  the  quantity  of  water  which  is  con- 
tinually disembogued  by  them  into  the  Northern 
Ocean.  On  his  route  from  Moscow  to  Irkutsk, 
Ledyard  had  crossed  twenty-five  large  naviga- 
ble rivers,  whose  courses  were  north.  The 
Yenissey,  where  he  passed  it,  runs  at  the  rate 
of  about  five  miles  an  hour,  and  generally  the 
rivers  on  the  east  of  the  Yenissey  run  two  or 
three  miles  in  an  hour  swifter  than  the  west- 
ern ones,  between  the  Yenissey  and  Moscow. 
He  thinks  these  twenty-five  rivers,  taken  to- 
gether, had  an  average  width  of  half  a  mile 
where  he  crossed  them.  He  also  ascertained 
that  there  were  twelve  rivers  of  a  similar  de- 
scription between  Irkutsk  and  Kamtschatka, 
making  in  all  thirty-seven. 

Allowing  these  rivers  to  be  twice  as  widd 
at  their  mouths  as  at  these  interior  points, 
which    is    evidently  a    moderate   estimate,  we 


1  "i  ■ 

It 
I; 

i 


VOL.    XIV. 


19 


i 


m 


290 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


shall  have  a  column  of  water  thirty-seven 
miles  wide,  and  of  the  average  depth*  of  rivers 
a  mile  in  width,  constantly  flowing  into  the 
Frozen  Ocean,  with  a  velocity  of  at  least  three 
or  four  miles  an  hour. 

His  inference  from  the  whole  is,  that  such 
an  immense  body  of  fresh  water  incessantly 
discharged,  at  points  so  near  each  other  and 
so  near  the  pole,  must  have  a  sensible  effect 
in  creating  and  perpetuating  the  ice  in  those 
latitudes.  Whatever  may  be  thought  of  this 
theory,  it  is  an  unquestionable  fact,  that  a  much 
larger  quantity  of  water  is  conveyed  by  rivers 
from  Siberia  into  the  Frozen  Ocean,  than  runs 
into  the  sea  in  any  other  part  of  the  globe, 
within  the  same  compass.  Whether  these 
streams  are  mainly  fed  by  native  springs,  or 
by  the  melting  of  snows,  and  whether  the  su- 
perabundance of  these  snows  is  produced  by 
vapors  wafted  from  warmer  climes,  are  topics 
of  inquiry  that  must  be  left  to  those  who  are 
inclined  to  pursue  them.  Snow  cannot  be 
formed  without  moisture,  but  where  the  sur- 
face of  the  earth  is  bound  in  frost  six  or  eight 
months  in  a  year,  there  can  be  little  evapora- 
tion or  moisture.  If  snow  still  continues  to 
fall  and  accumulate,  whence  is  it  that  the  at- 
mosphere is  surcharged  with  the  vapors  neces- 
sary for  this  operation? 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


201 


We  left  onr  traveller  with  his  kibitka,  on 
his  first  day's  journey  from  Irkutsk  northward. 
It  was  now  the  26th  of  August,  and  the  forest 
trees  had  begun  to  drop  their  foliage,  and  put 
on  the  garb  of  autumn.  The  country  in  the 
environs  of  Irkutsk  was  well  cultivated,  con- 
taining fine  fields  of  wheat,  rye,  barley,  exten- 
sive pasture  lands,  and  a  good  breed  of  cattle. 
The  sheep  were  of  the  large-tailed  kind,  such 
as  are  found  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  but 
the  mutton  was  not   well  flavored. 

In  company  with  Lieutenant  Laxman.  a 
Swedish  officer,  Ledyard  embarked  on  the 
River  Lena,  at  a  point  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  distant  from  Irkutsk,  with  the  intention 
of  floating  down  its  current  to  Yakutsk.  This 
river  navigation  was  fourteen  hundred  miles. 
Where  they  entered  their  boat,  the  stream  was 
no  more  than  twenty  yards  broad,  with  here 
and  there  gentle  rapids,  and  high,  rugged  moun- 
tains on  each  side.  They  were  carried  along 
from  eighty  to  a  hundred  miles  a  day,  the 
river  gradually  increasing  in  size,  and  the  moun- 
tain scenery  putting  on  an  infinite  variety  of 
forms,  alternately  sublime  and  picturesque,  bold 
and  fantastic,  with  craggy  rocks  and  jutting 
headlands,  bearing  on  their  brows  the  verdure 
of  pines,  firs,  larches,  and  other  evergreens,  and 
Alpine  shrubs. 


4 
« 


ti"tii 

■3i 


!iftl 


292 


AMF.TllCAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


]^:^'^ 


t.ll,! 


iA  :'d 


'14' f  I  j!a;S 

i 


^5*fP  : 


if  : 


All  the  way  to  Yakutsk,  the  river  was  stud- 
ded with  islands,  recurring  at  short  intervals, 
which  added  to  the  romantic  effect  of  the 
scenery,  and  made  a  voyage  down  the  licna, 
notwithstanding  its  many  privations,  by  no 
means  an  unpleasant  trip  to  a  true  lover  of 
nature,  and  a  hardy,  veteran  traveller.  The 
weather  was  growing  cold,  and  heavy  fogs 
hung  about  the  river  till  a  late  hour  in  the 
morning.  They  daily  passed  small  towns  and 
villages,  where  they  went  ashore  for  provisions, 
or  refreshment,  as  occasion  recjuired. 

"August  30th.  We  stopped  at  a  village  this 
morning  to  procure  a  few  stores.  They  killed 
for  us  a  sheep,  gave  us  three  quarts  of  milk, 
two  loaves  of  bread,  cakes  with  carrots  and 
radishes  baked  in  them,  onions,  one  dozen  of 
fresh  and  two  dozen  of  salt  fish,  straw  and 
bark  to  mend  the  covering  of  our  boat ;  and 
all  for  the  value  of  about  fourteen  pence  ster- 
ling. The  poor  creatures  brought  us  the  straw, 
to  show  us  how  their  grain  was  blasted  by 
the  cruel  frost,  although  it  had  been  reaped 
before  the  21st  of  August.  The  peasants  say 
the  mountains  here  are  full  of  bears  and 
wolves.  We  have  seen  a  plenty  of  wild  fowl, 
which  we  shoot  as  we  please.  In  the  river 
is  the  salmon-trout.  The  people  fish  with 
seines,   and    al>o    with    spears    by   torchlight. 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


293 


This  latter  custom  is  a  very  universal  one  ; 
they  fish  witli  a  torch  at  Otaheite.  The 
double  headed  or  Es(iuimaux  paddle  is  used 
here. 

"  September  2d.     My  rascal  of  a  soldier  stole 
our  brandy,  and    got  drunk,  and  was  imperti- 
nent.    [  was  obliged  to  handle  him  roughly  to 
preserve  order.     Fixed  a  little  sail  to  our  boat. 
''September   4th.      Arrived  at    the    town    of 
Keringa  at  daylight,  and  stayed  with  the  Com- 
mandant till    noon,  and  was    treated  very  hos- 
pitably.     Some  merchants  sent  us   stores.      It 
is  the   custom  here,  if  they  hear  of  the  arrival 
of   a  foreigner,   to    load    him   with    their   little 
services.      It    is    almost    impossible    to   pass   a 
town  of  any  kind,  without  being    arrested   by 
them.     They  have  the  earnestness  of  hospital- 
ity;  they  crowd   their  tables  with   everything 
they  have  to  eat  and  drink,  and,   not   content 
with    that,   they    fill    your  wallet.      I    wish    I 
could  think  them  as    honest  as  they  m-e    hos- 
pitable.   The  reason  why  the  Commandant  did 
not  show  his  wife,  was  because  he  was  jealous 
of  her.     I  have  observed  this  to  be  a  prevail- 
ing passion  here.      The  river  on   each  side    as 
we  pass  is  bounded    by  vast    rocky  cliffs,  the 
highest  mass  of  rocks,  I  ever  saw. 

''September  15th.      Snow   squalls  with  fresh 
gales ;  up  all  night  at  the  helm  myself. 


M\ 


ii?? :]! 


i 


294 


A  M  C  U  I C  A  N     BIOGRAPHY. 


"  September  17th.  Ninety  versts  from  Ya- 
kutsk. Passed  yesterday  a  very  odd  arrange- 
ment of  rocks,  wliich  line  the  margin  of  the 
river  for  sixty  versts.  They  are  of  talc,  and 
appear  formerly  to  have  been  covered  with 
earth,  but  are  now  entirely  bare.  They  are 
all  of  a  pyramidal  form,  and  about  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  in  height ;  detached  at  their 
bases,  and  disposed  with  extraordinary  regular- 
ity. These  rocky  pyramids  appear  to  termi- 
nate the  long  mountainous  south  and  east 
banks  of  the  Lena,  which  have  uniformly  con- 
tinued from  Katchuga,  where  I  first  embarked 
on  the  river." 

On  the  18th  of  September  he  arrived  at 
^"akutsk,  after  a  fatiguing  voyage  of  twenty- 
two  days,  in  a  small  bateau  on  the  Lena. 
During  this  period,  he  had  passed  from  a  sum- 
mer climate  to  one  of  rigorous  cold.  When 
he  left  Irkutsk,  it  was  just  in  the  midst  of 
harvest^^time,  and  the  reapers  were  in  the  fields; 
but  when  he  entered  Yakutsk,  the  snow  was 
six  inches  deep,  and  the  boys  were  whipping 
their  tops  on  the  ice.  He  debarked  from  his 
bateau  two  miles  above  the  town,  and  there 
mounted  a  sledge,  drawn  by  an  ox,  with  a  Ya- 
kuti  Indian  on  his  back,  and  guided  by  a  cord 
passing  through  the  cartilage  of  his  nose. 


mw 


JOHN     LED YARD. 


295 


m    Ya- 
irrauge- 
of  the 
ale,  and 
d    with 
ley   are 
ic   huii- 
at  their 
regular- 
D  ter mi- 
ld    east 
nly  con- 
nbarked 

rived   at 
tweiity- 
e    Lena. 
1  a  sum- 
When 
fiidst   of 
le  fields; 
low  was 
shipping 
from  his 
nd   there 
ith  a  Ya- 
ly  a  cord 
ose. 


CHAPTER   X. 

Interview  ivith  the    Commandant    of    Yakutsk. 

Detained  under  false  Pretences.  — .  The  Yakuli 
Tartars.  —  Injluenct  of  Religion  upon  them.  — 
Peculiaritits  of  Features  in  the  Tartar  Coun- 
tenance. —  Difficulty  of  taking  Vocabularies  of 
unknown  Languages.  —  Classification  of  the 
Tartars  and  North  American  Indians.  —  Causes 
of  the  Difference  of  Color  in  the  Human  Race. 
—  Tartars  and  American  Indians  the  same 
Peojjle. 

Ledyard  immediately  waited  on  the  Com- 
mandant, delivered  his  letter  from  the  Gov- 
ernor-General, and  made  known  his  situation 
and  designs.  It  was  his  wish  to  press  forward 
with  as  much  expedition  as  possible  to  Okotsk, 
lest  the  winter  should  shut  in  before  he  could 
reacli  that  town,  where  he  hoped  to  seize  upon 
the  first  opportunity  in  the  spring,  to  secure  a 
passage  to  the  American  continent.  The  dis- 
tance from  Yakutsk  was  between  six  and  sev- 
en hundred  miles.  Lodgings  were  provided  for 
him  by  order  of  the  Commandant,  with  whom 
he  had  already  dined,  and  who  soon  after  came 
to  see  him.  Imagine  his  dismay,  when  the 
Commandant  assured  him   that  the  season  was 


■li; 


p^^^ 


^?  • 


B 


296 


AMERICAN     D  I  O  G  R  A  P  H  y  . 


already  so  far  advanced  as  tf  roiider  a  journey 
to  Okotsk  impossible. 

"  What,  alas!  shall  I  do  ? "  exclaims  he  in  his 
journal ;  "  for  I  am  miserably  prepared  for  this 
unlooked-for  delay.  By  remaining  here  through 
the  winter,  I  cannot  expect  to  resume  my 
march  until  May,  which  will  be  eight  mouths. 
My  funds  !  I  have  but  two  long  frozen  stages 
more,  and  I  shall  be  beyond  the  want  or  aid 
of  money,  until,  emerging  from  the  deep  des- 
erts, I  gain  the  American  Atlantic  States  ;  and 
then,  thy  glowing  climates,  Africa,  explored,  I 
will  lay  me  down,  and  claim  my  little  portion 
of  the  globe  \  have  viewed ;  may  it  )iot  be 
before.  How  many  of  the  noble  minded  have 
been  subsidiary  to  me,  or  to  my  enterprises ! 
yet  that  meagre  demon  Poverty  has  travelled 
with  me  hand  in  hand  over  half  the  globe, 
and  witnessed  what  —  the  tale  I  will  not 
unfold. 

"  Ye  children  of  wealth  and  idleness,  what 
a  profitable  commerce  might  be  made  between 
us !  A  little  of  my  toil  might  better  brace 
your  bodies,  give  spring  to  mind  and  zest  to 
enjoyment  ;  and  a  very  little  of  that  wealth, 
which  you  scatter  around  you,  would  put  it 
beyoi^d  the  power  of  anything  but  death  to 
oppose  my  kindred  greetings  with  all  on  earth 
that  bear  the  stamp  of  mnn.     This  is  the  third 


JOHN     L  E  DY  A  Un, 


297 


time,  that  I  have  been  overtaken  and  arrested 
by  winter;  and  both  the  others,  by  giving  time 
for  my  evil  genius  to  rally  his  hosts  about  me, 
have  defeated  the  enterprise.  Fortune,  thou 
hast  humbled  me  at  last,  for  I  am  this  mo- 
ment the  slave  of  cowardly  solicitude,  lest  in 
the  heart  of  this  dread  winter,  there  lurk  the 
seeds  of  disappointment  to  my  ardent  desire 
of  gaining  the  opposite  continent.  But  I  sub- 
mit." 

These  melancholy  forebodings  were  but  too 
literally  verified,  as  the  issue  will  prove.  In  a 
letter  to  Colonel  Smith,  from  Yakutsk,  he 
speaks  again  of  this  disappointment  in  the  fol- 
lowing manner. 

"  The  Commandant  assnred  me   that  he  had 
orders  from  the   Governor-General  to  render  me 
all    possible    kindness    and   service ;  '  But,  Sir  ' 
continued    he,   '  the    first    service    I  am    bound 
to    render    you  is,   to    beseech    you   not  to   at- 
tempt to  reach  Okotsk  this  winter.'     He  spoke 
to  me   ill  French.     I  almost  rudely  insisted  on 
being  permitted  to  depart  immediately,  and  ex- 
pressed   surprise    that  a  Yakuti    Indian,  and   a 
Tartar  horse,  should   be    thought    iticapable  of 
followng   a   man,   born   and   educated    in   the 
latitude  of  forty.     He  declared  upon  his,  honor, 
that  the  journey  was  impracticable.     The  con- 
test lasted  two  or  three  days,  in  which    inter- 


,,    '■■■■  >T,.*^     1. 


298 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


val,  being  still  fixed  in  my  opinion,  I  was  pre- 
paring for  the  jonrney.  The  Commandant  at 
length  waited  on  me,  and  brought  with  him 
a  trader,  a  very  good,  respectable  looking  man 
of  about  fifty,  as  a  witness  to  the  truth  and 
propriety  of  his  advice  to  me.  This  trader, 
for  ten  or  twelve  years,  had  passed  and  re- 
passed often  from  Yakutsk  to  Okotsk.  I  was 
obliged,  however  sev^erely  I  might  lament  the 
misfortune,  to  yield  to  two  such  advocates  for 
my  happiness.  The  trader  held  out  to  me  all 
the  horrors  of  the  winter,  and  the  severity  of 
the  journey  at  the  best  season;  and  the  Com- 
mandant, the  goodness  of  his  house  and  the 
society  here,  all  of  which  would  be  at  my  ser- 
vice. The  difficulty  of  the  journey  I  was 
aware  of;  but  when  I  assented  to  its  imprac- 
ticobiliti/,  it  was  a  compliment ;  for  I  do  not 
believe  it  is  so,  nor  hardly  anything  else. 

"  It  is  certainly  bad  in  theory  to  suppose 
the  seasons  can  triumph  over  the  efforts  of  an 
honest  man.  The  proffered  hospitality  of  the 
Commandant  I  have  no  doubt  was  sincere, 
because  in  Russia  generally,  and  particrdarly 
in  Siberia,  it  i«  the  fashion  to  be  hospitable. 
It  is  probable,  also,  that  it  is  a  natural  princi- 
ple. I  should,  however,  have  said  less  to  them 
about  the  matter,  had  I  not  been  without 
clothes,  and  with  only  a  guinea  and  one  fourth 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


299 


m  my  purse,  and  in  a  place  where  the  neces- 
saries of  life  are  clearer  than  in  Europe,  and 
clothing  still  dearer  by  the  same  com])arison. 
And,  besides,  the  people  of  all  dcscrijniuns 
here,  as  far  as  they  are  able,  live  in  all  the 
excess  of  Asiatic  luxiuy,  joined  with  such  Eu- 
ropean excesses,  as  have  migrated  hither. 

"  Add  to  all  these,  that  they  are  universally 
and  extremely  ignorant,  and  adverse  to  every 
species  of  intellectual  enjoyment,  and  1  will 
declare  to  you,  that  1  was  never  before  so 
totally  at  a  loss  how  to  accommodate  myself 
to  my  situation.  The  only  consolation  I  have, 
of  the  argumentative  kind,  is  to  reflect,  that 
he  who  travels  for  information  must  be  sup- 
posed to  want  it.  By  being  here  eight  months, 
I  shall  be  able  to  make  my  observations  much 
more  extensive,  respecting  the  country  and  its 
inhabitants,  than  if  I  had  passed  directly  through 
it ;   and  this  also  is  a  satisfaction." 

It  bemg  thus  determined,  against  his  opin- 
ion and  wishes,  that  he  should  not  proceed,  he 
resolved  to  reconcile  himself  to  his  fate,  and 
to  make  the  best  use  of  his  time,  which  cir- 
cumstances would  allow.  He  had  entered  the 
following  memorandum  in  his  journal,  while 
coming  down  the  Lena;  "Yakutsk  is  the  last 
place  where  I  shall  be  able  to  make  any  in- 
quiries; therefore,  let  them  be  extensive."     He 


I , 


1^ 


4\i 


•ii'.i 


»       !>  1. -;..,.,    Iff,, :> 


1 ;; ; 


300 


AMERICAN     B  I  0  G  R  A  P  H  V  . 


now  set  himself  earnestly  *o  the  task  of  com- 
plying with  this  injunction,  :md  of  collecting 
as  much  information  as  possible.  The  facts 
and  reflections,  which  he  thought  worth  pre- 
serving, are  recorded  in  his  diary  without  meth- 
od or  connection.  It  was  his  manner,  as  we 
riave  already  seen,  to  write  down  only  hints, 
to  state  facts  briefly,  and  throw  out  his  own 
remarks  upon  them  in  language  concise  and 
unstudied.  These  particulars,  as  heretofore, 
must  be  remembered  in  reading  the  free  ex- 
tracts, which  will  be  made  from  the  part  of 
his  journal  written  at  Yakutsk. 

There  is  some  room  for  doubt,  whether  the 
Commandant  was  perfectly  honest,  in  advisuig 
and  persuading  Ledyard  to  desist  from  his  pur- 
pose of  proceeding  immediately  to  Okotsk.  In 
the  first  place,  it  was  certainly  not  an  uncom- 
mon thing  to  perform  that  journey  in  the  win- 
ter, and  the  Commandant's  tender  concern  for 
the  sufferings  of  the  traveller,  who  knew  what 
was  before  him,  and  was  eager  to  grapple  with 
(,'very  hardship  in  the  way,  could  scarcely  be 
such  as  to  induce  him,  from  this  motive  alone, 
to  urge  his  delay  for  eight  months  in  Yakutsk. 
His  bringing  in  the  trader  to  strengthen  his 
argument,  on  the  same  benevolent  grounds,  is 
moreover  a  suspicious  circumstance.  Ledyard 
yielded    to    their   persuasions,  against    his  will 


mmmm 


.r  0  ir  N     LED  Y  V  II D  . 


301 


and  his  judgment,  and  was  only  surprised  that 
he  should  meet  two  men  in  Siberia,  entire 
strangers  to  him^  who  should  have  his  happi- 
ness so  much  at  heart. 

Again,  the  original  letter  of  recommendation 
from  Jacobi,  the  Governor-General  of  Irkutsk, 
to  the  Commandant  of  Yakutsk,  has  been  pre- 
served amongst  Ledyard's  papers.  It  is  writ- 
ten in  the  Russian  language  and  character.* 
After  recommending  the  bearer  in  general 
terms,  and  stating  that  he  wished  to  pass 
through  to  the  American  continent,  with  a 
view  of  acquiring  a  knowledge  of  that  coun- 
try, Jacobi  adds,  "  His  object  seems  to  be, 
that  of  joining  a  certain  secret  naval  expedi- 
tion ;  I  earnestly  request  you,  therefore,  to  re- 
ceive Mr.  Ledyard  most  kindly,  and  to  assist 
him  every  possit)le  way  in  all  his  wishes,  and 
to  forward  him  without  the  least  delay  to  the 
above  mentioned  expedition." 

The  passage  in  this  letter  demanding  par- 
ticular attention,  is  that  in  which  the  Governor- 
General  enjoins  it  on  the  Commandant,  with 
marked  emphasis,  to  treat  him  kindly,  and  send 
him  forward   according    to  his  wishes  witliout 


*  A  translation  of  this  letter  was  procured  from  the 
Russian  Legation,  throujrh  the  politeness  of  Mr.  Poletica, 
while  he  was  minister  from  tiie  court  of  Petersburg  to  the 
United  States 


■J 


1 

m 


^>i 


302 


A  :M  E  n  I  c  A  N    B I  0  c  II A  r  n  r . 


V\ 


•  I 


delay.  Now,  if  he  had  given  this  order  seri- 
ously, it  would  not  have  been  done,  unless  it 
was  intended  to  be  obeyed,  gind  Jacobi  knew 
very  well  whether  the  journey  was  practicable 
at  the  season  when  the  letter  would  arrive ; 
and  if  it  was  in  fact  a  serious  and  positive 
order,  it  is  not  likely  that  the  Commandant 
would  have  hesitated  to  carry  it  instantly  into 
effect.  My  inference  is,  that  there  were  secret 
instructions  sent  at  the  same  time  to  detain 
Ledyard  in  Yakutsk,  and  that  the  Command- 
ant for  this  purpose  resorted  to  the  artifice  of 
a  pretended  concern  for  his  health  and  com- 
fort, that  all  suspicions  of  any  designed  inter- 
ference might  be  lulled  to  sleep.  It  is  remark- 
able, too,  that  the  letter  of  recommendation 
was  sent  op^n,  and  was  returned  to  Ledyard 
after  having  been  read  by  tjie  Commandant. 
This  manoeuvre  was  artfully  contrived  to  quiet 
his  apprehensions,  and  cause  him  to  believe, 
that  the  Governor-General  had  taken  a  lively 
interest  in  his  success,  and  was  disposed  to  ren- 
der him  efficient  aid.  To  this  subject  I  shall 
have  occasion  to  recur. 

•  Meantime  let  us  return  to  the  occupations 
of  the  traveller,  while  he  was  thus  uncon- 
sciously a  prisoner  at  Yakutsk.  He  pursued 
with  diligence  his  inquiries,  and  lost  no  oppor- 
tunity of  seeking  knowledge  wherever  he  could 


JOHN     LEDYARD 


303 


find  it,  particularly  on  those  topics  which  he 
was  fond  of  contemplating.  In  the  letter  to 
Colonel  Smith,  mentioned  above,  are  contained 
some  observations,  besides  those  c.lready  quoted, 
which  are  in  harmony  with  the  writer's  usual 
turn  of  mind  and  mode  of  expressing  his 
thonghts. 

"  I  cannot  say,  that  my  voyage  on  the  Lena 
has  furnished  me  with  anything  new  ;  and  yet 
no  traveller  ever  passed  by  scenes,  that  more 
constantly  engage  the  heart  and  the  imagina- 
tion. I  suppose  no  two  philosophers  would 
think  alike  about  them.  A  painter  and  a  poe* 
would  be  much  more  likely  to  agree.  There 
are  some  things,  however,  not  unworthy  of  a 
philosophical  inquiry.  The  Lena  is  very  in- 
different for  navigation,  from  this  place  towards 
Irkutsk.  In  some  mountains  near  the  river 
are  large  salt  mines,  which  afford  a  supply  to 
all  the  adjacent  country.  'It  is  pure,  solid, 
transparent,  mineral  salt,  and  found  in  veins. 
The  pieces  that  I  have  seen,  with  the  Com- 
mandant here,  are  six  and  nine  inches  square. 
When  pulverized  for  the  table,  it  is  much  the 
most  delicate  salt  I  ever  saw,  of  a  perfect 
white,  and  an  agreeable  taste,  but  I  imagine 
not  so  strong  by  one  third,  as  our  West  India 
salt. 

"  There   are    also    upon    the    banks   of   the 


% 


d'i  \vVil  ill 


is  i' 


m 


1^1 


![•  ■' 


t>:, 


Ml 


m 

,1  i^j-'" 


:^'!l 


B' 


301 


AMERICAN     P  I  0  G  R  A  P  H  y  . 


Lena,  and  indeed  all  over  this  country,  great 
qua!itities  of  elephants'  bones.  The  Command- 
ant possesses  some  of  the  teeth  of  that  ani- 
mal, larger  than  any  I  saw  in  the  royal  mu- 
seum at  Petersburg,  and  they  are  as  sound  as 
they  ever  were.  The  hafts  of  knives,  spoons, 
and  a  variety  of  other  things  are  here  made 
of  them,  and  they  equal  any  ivory  I  liave  seen 
from  Africa.  If  I  can,  I  will  send  you  a  spe- 
cimen of  this  fine  bone,  and  of  the  salt  like- 
wise. Indeed,  I  want  to  send  you  many 
things,  but  it  is  an  embarrassing  circumstance, 
when  one  has  correspondents  in  the  antipodes. 
4.nd  though  no  man  could  show  more  kind- 
'^less,  or  render  more  service  to  a  traveller,  than 
Dr.  Pallas  has  done  to  me,  yet  I  am  reserved 
in  asking  them  upon  all  occasions.  Brown 
and  Porter,  too ;  I  wonder  their  patience  is 
not  exhausted.  It  has  been  as  thoroughly 
tried,  as  yours  was  while  I  was  at  Petersburg. 
"  The  fact  is,  I  am  a  bankrupt  to  the  world; 
but  I  hope  it  will  consider  well  the  occasion 
of  nty  being  such.  I  believe  it  will.  My  Eng- 
lish creditors  are  tlie  most  numerous,  and  I 
have  great  consolation  on  that  account,  because 
they  think  and  act  with  such  heavenly  pro- 
priety. In  most  parts  of  the  world,  and  as 
much  in  Russia  as  anywhere,  and  in  Siberia 
most  of  all,  it  is  the   custom   not  to  think  at 


JOHN     LEOYARO. 


305 


ave  seen 


all.  In  this  case  it  is  difficult  to  liquidate, 
rationally,  a  receipt  and  expenditure  of  three 
dinners  and  a  bow.  For  the  same  reason, 
when  I  left  France  my  accounts  were  not 
closed,  and  from  that  day  to  this  I  know  not 
whether  I  owe  France,  or  France  owes  me. 
But  here  at  Yakutsk  it  will  be  infinitely  worse  ; 
and  without  any  violence  to  the  metaphor,  or 
pedantic  affectation,  I  declare  to  you  that,  to 
leave  Yakutsk  with  respectability  and  reach 
Okotsk  alive,  will  be  to  pass  a  Scylla  and 
Charybdis,  which  I  have  never  yet  encoun- 
tered. Both  you,  myself,  and  my  friends,  had 
formed  at  London  very  erroneous  opinions  of 
the  equipment  necessary  to  joass  through  this 
country,  and  particularly  as  to  the  manner  of 
travelling.  It  has  been  the  source  of  all  my 
troubles.  They  have  been  many,  and  I  have 
done  wrong  to  feel  them  so  severely.  I  owe 
the  world  some  services,  which  I  shall  make 
great  efforts  to  perform.  Make  my  best  com- 
pliments to  my  friends,  and  tell  them  that  I 
have  a  heart  as  big  as  St.  Paul's  'Churcli  in 
such  service  as   theirs."' 

The  mistake  here  alluded  to,  in  regard  to 
the  mode  of  travelling,  was  the  plan  formed 
by  himself  and  his  friends  in  London,  that  he 
should  walk,  as  being  more  economical.  By 
experiment    he    proved    this    to   have  been   an 


'ii  1 

4 


VOL.     XIV. 


20 


■m 


306 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


ill  advised  scheme,  for  walking  not  only  con- 
sumed a  great  deal  more  time,  but  the  expenses 
in  the  aggregate  were  higher,  than  by  the 
usual  mode  of  travelling  post  through  those 
countries.  In  a  letter  from  Irkutsk  he  says, 
"  It  has  been  to  this  moment  a  source  of  mis- 
fortune to  me,  that  1  did  not  begin  tt  ride 
post  from  Hamburg.  I  have  footed  it  at  a 
great  expense,  besides  the  loss  of  my  baggage, 
which  I  severely  feel.  Never  did  I  adopt  an 
idea  so  fatal  to  my  happiness."  The  reason 
why  he  viewed  this  oversight  in  so  serious  an 
aspect  was,  that  it  would  inevitably  be  the 
cause  of  keeping  him  back  a  full  season  from 
his  passage  across  the  sea  to  the  American 
continent,  and  thus,  in  the  end,  a  whole  year 
would  be  lost.  Add  to  this  the  innumerable 
accidents,  that  might  intervene  to  defeat  his 
purpose  altogether.  Whereas,  had  he  proceeded 
by  the  shortest  conveyance  from  Hamburg  to 
the  Russian  capital,  he  might  with  great  ease 
have  reached  Kamtschatka  the  same  season. 
The  origin  of  his  disasters  may  chiefly  be  re- 
ferred, however,  to  his  fit  of  romantic  benevo- 
lence in  seeking  out  Major  Langborn ;  wasting 
his  precious  time  in  Copenhagen,  and  sharing 
with  his  erratic  countryman  his  scanty  means, 
which,  in  their  whole  amount,  were  scarcely 
enough  to  keep  himself  alone  from  beggary. 


JOHN     L  E  D  Y  A  R  D  , 


307 


Mily  con- 
I  expenses 
1  by  the 
.igli  those 

}ie  says, 
;e  of  mis- 
1  tc  ride 
[    it    cii   a 

baggage, 
adopt  an 
le  reason 
serious  an 
y  be  the 
ison  from 
American 
hole  year 
numerable 
Jeleat  his 
proceeded 
mburg  to 
jreat  ease 
le  season, 
fly  be  re- 
c  benevo- 
;  wasting 
d  sharing 
ty  means, 
3  scarcely 
)cggary. 


I  shall  now  bring  together,  in  as  connected 
a  form  as  the  nature  of  the  particulars  will 
admit,  Ledyard's  observations  on  various  tribes 
of  Tartars,  with  whom  he  became  more  or 
less  acciuainted  in  Siberia.  His  researches 
were  desultory,  but  pursued  with  inquisitive- 
ness;  his  statements  are  often  curious,  some- 
times important;  they  will  afford  amusement 
to  the  general  reader,  as  well  as  information  to 
the  philosophical  inquirer. 

"  Of  all  the  gradations  of  men,  the  savage 
is  the  most  formal  and  ceremonious,  notwith- 
standiiig  his  wants  and  occupations  are  few, 
and  he  can  with  hapj)y  indifference  endure 
privation.  His  heaven  is  peace  and  leisure. 
Ceremonials,  like  the  uninterrupted  tenor  of 
his  mind,  may  be  supposed  to  be  transmitted 
unchanged  through  many  generations.  .  Hence 
many  things,  which  marked  the  earliest  period 
of  history,  and  which  have  left.no  vestige  with 
civiHzed  man,  show  themselves  at  this  day 
among  savages.  Their  luxuries,  if  such  they 
may  be  called,  are  of  that  kind  which  nature 
suggests.  Dress,  which  in  hot  climates  is  an 
inconvenience,  does  not  become  so  much  the 
object  of  attention  and  delight ;  and  here,  there- 
fore, the  savage  is  more  nice  iu  the  indulgence 
of  his  appetites.  Oji  the  contrary,  in  cold  cli- 
mates, bodily  covering  being  all  important,  in- 


Ml 


303 


A  M  E  II I  C  V  N     BIOGRAPHY, 


gemiity  is  directed  to  that  point.  A  feeble 
kind  of  infant  fancy  grows  out  of  tlie  elforts 
of  necessity,  and  displays  its  little  arts  in 
adorning  the  person  with  awkward  and  fantas- 
tic decorations.  But  here  the  appetites  are  less 
lively  and  distinguishing. 

"  With  respect  to  food,  the  vilest,  and  that 
totally  unprepared,  does  not  come  amiss,  and 
the  most  delicate  is  not  seized  with  eagerness. 
Give  a  cake  to  a  Swedish  Laplander,  Finland- 
er,  or  northern  Tartar,  and  he  eats  it  leisurely ; 
do  the  same  to  an  Otaheitan,  Italian  peasant, 
or  Spanish  fisherman,  and  he  will  put  the 
whole  cake  into  his  mouth  if  he  can.  The 
Empress  has  caused  houses  to  be  built  in  the 
Russian  manner,  at  the  expense  of  government, 
and  ordered  them  to  be  offered  to  the  Yakuti, 
upon  the  single  condition  of  their  dwelling  in 
them  ;  but  they  have  universally  refused,  pre- 
ferring their  apparently  more  uncomfortable 
yourtes  or  wip^wams. 

"  The  Tongusians  are  a  wandering  people, 
living  solely  by  the  chase.  They  varely  stop 
above  two  or  three  days  in  a  place.  They 
have  tents  or  yourtes,  made  of  bark,  which 
they  leave  on  the  spot  where  they  have  en- 
camped. When  they  march,  they  tell  their 
women  that  they  are  going  to  such  a  moun- 
tain, river,  lake,  or  forest,  and   leave  them    to 


^'-fT*a 


A  feeble 
the  eliorts 
le  aits  ill 
and  fan  tas- 
tes are  less 


and   that 
and 


amiss 

I  eagerness, 
sr,  Finland- 
it  leisurely ; 
m    peasant, 

II  put  the 
can.  The 
)uilt  in  the 
;overnment, 
he  Yakut  1, 
Iwelling  in 
if  used,  pre- 
comfortable 

ing  people^ 
narely  stop 
ce.  They 
ark,  which 
T  have  en- 
tell  their 
h  a  moun- 
re  them    to 


JOHN  LEDYARD. 


309 


bring  the  baggage.  They  are  extremely  active 
in  the  chase,  and  instances  have  occurred  in 
which  they  were  found  dead,  having  pursued 
their  game  down  some  precipice. 

*'  The  Kalmuks,  or  Buretti,  write  their  lan- 
guage in  columns,  like  the  Chinese  ;  the  Ka- 
zan Tartars  from  right  to  left,  like  the  He- 
brews.* The  reason  why  the  Buretti  have  the 
art  of  writing  is,  that  they  last  migrated  from 
the  borders  of  Tliibet.  There  is  not  another 
Asiatic  tribe  in  all  Siberia,  that  write  their  lan- 
guage, or  have -any  remains  of  writing  among 
them.f  The  sound  of  the  Yakuti  language 
very  closely  resembles  that  of  the  Chinese  ; 
and   the  same,  indeed,  may  be  said  of  the  lan- 


*  Dr.  Clarke  mentions  having  procured  at  Taganrog,  on 
the  Sea  of  Azof,  a  specimen  of  writing  from  the  Kalmuk 
priests.  The  characters  were  arranged  in  columns  on  scar- 
let linen,  and  read  from  the  top  to  the  bottom.  After  re- 
turning to  England,  he  was  informed,  that  diis  writing  was 
Sanscrit  He  adds,  that  the  Kalmuks  in  that  part  of  Asia 
had  two  modes  of  writing,  one  with  the  vulgar  character, 
so  called,  and  the  other  with  the  sacred.  This  latter  is 
reud  from  left  to  right,  like  the  European  languages ;  the 
former  in  columns,  and  would  seem  to  be  Sanscrit.  Clarke's 
Travels,  Vol.  I.  Ch.  15. 

f  It  must  be  observed,  that  Ledyard  everywhere  speaks 
of  the  Buretti  as  the  same  people  with  the  Kalmuks,  and 
both  as  direct  descendants  of  the  Mongul  Tartars.  What 
he  says  of  either,  therefore,  may  commonly  be  applied  to 
the  other. 


310 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


mm 


fU 


fj  f, 


m 


m- 


mm 


•*'<H 


'W, 


guages  of  all  the  Asiatic  Tartars.  I  have  al- 
ready observed,  that  the  Yakiili  is  supposed  to 
be  the  oldest  language,  and  that  other  tribes 
have  some  knowledge  of  it. 

"  The  Kalmuks  live  mostly  i  /  their  flocks, 
which  consist  of  horses,  sheep,  goats,  and  cows. 
In  summer  they  dwell  in  the  plains,  in  winter 
retreat  to  the  mountains,  where  their  flocks 
feed  on  buds,  twigs  of  trees,  and  moss.  They 
have  much  milk,  which  serves  them  for  food, 
and  of  which  they  slso  make  a  kind  of  bran- 
dy.* They  likewise  hunt.  When  any  of  their 
fiock-are  sick   or  lame,  they  kill  and  eat  them. 

*'  I  observe  there  is  one  continual  flow  of 
good  nature  and  cheerfulness  among  the  Tar- 
tars. They  never  abuse  each  other  by  words, 
but,  when  provoked,  look  for  revenge,  either 
secret  or  open.  The  Tongusians  fight  duels 
with  their  bows,  and  with  knives.  They,  and 
the  other  roving    Tartars,   have    the    limits   of 

*  The  manner  of  extracting  this  spirituous  liquor  from 
milk  is  largely  described  by  Pallas.  The  milk  is  first  fer- 
mented, in  which  state  it  contains  a  vinous  ac'd.  It  is 
then  subjected  to  the  usual  process  of  distillation,  and  the 
result  is  a  species  of  liquor,  which  has  intoxicatng  o'lal- 
ities,  and  of  which  the  Kalmuks  are  very  fond.  Mare's 
milk  is  considered  the  best  for  this  purpose,  and  cow's 
milk  the  next.  The  milk  of  sheep  is  seldom  distilled,  as 
it  contains  but  a  small  'quantity  of  the  spirituous  principle. 
Voyages  du  Pro/esseur  Pallas,  Tom.  II.  pp.  1G8  - 175. 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


311 


I  have  al- 
ii pposed  to 
ther   tribes 

heir  flocks, 
,  and  cows. 
,,  ill  winter 
heir  flocks 
OSS.  They 
Ti  for  fv^od, 
id  of  bran- 
my  of  their 
1  eat  them, 
lal  flow  of 
ig  the  Tar- 

•  by  words, 
enge,  either 

fight   dnels 

They,  and 

3    Umits   of 

)us  liquor  from 
lilk  is  first  fer- 
is  ac'd.  It  is 
llation,  and  the 
oxicfit, ug  o'lal- 

•  fond.  Mare's 
jse,  and  cow's 
am  distilled,  as 
ituous  principle. 
,  168-175. 


their  hunting,  grounds  ascertained  and   marked, 
Hke  the  aborigines  of  North  America. 

"  The  Yakuti  here  take  their  children  out 
in  the  evening,  and  teach  them  the  names  of 
the  principal  stars,  how  lo  direct  their  march 
by  them,  and  how  to  judge  of  the  weather. 
Astronomy  must  have  been  an  early  science. 
The  Russ  and  Yakuti  appear  to  live  together 
here  in  harmony  and  peace,  without  any  dis- 
tinction as  to  national  difference,  or  superiority 
and  inferiority.  1  know  of  but  one  circum- 
stance, (but,  alas!  it  is  an  important  one,)  in 
which  the  Yakuti  are  not  on  an  equal  footing 
with  tlie  Russ.  They  hold  no  offices,  civil  or 
military.  The  Russians  have  been  here  two 
hundred  and  fifty  years,  and  the  Yakuti  Tar- 
tars have  been  under  the  Russian  government 
ever  since  ;  yet  have  they  made  no  alteration 
in  their  dress  or  manners  in  general,  but  the 
Russians  have  conformed  to  the  dress  of  the 
Yakuti.  Very  few  of  them  have  embraced  the 
Christian  religion,  and  those  who  have  perform 
its  duties  with  great  indifference. 

"  In  this  respect,  also,  the  Tartar,  whether 
in  Asia  or  America,  acts  up  to  that  sid  generis 
character,  which  distinguishes  him  from  other 
branches  of  the  human  family.  Religion  of 
any  kind,  professed  by  any  other  people,  is 
usually  a  serious,  contemplative,  and  important 


M-.'i;"t  '      - 


■f  .«'J  v 


il. 


it 


312 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY, 


concern,  and  forms  at  least  as  remarkable  a 
trait  in  their  character,  as  any  circumstance  of 
fashion  or  habit ;  but  it  forms  no  part  of  the 
character  of  a  Tartar.  I  have  not  in  my  nrJnd 
the  Christian  system  particularly  ;  its  doctrines 
are  indeed  mysterious  to  the  greatest  minds 
and  best  hearts.  To  a  Tartar  they  must  sure- 
ly be  so.  The  surprise  is  therefore  the  less, 
why  they  should  so  feebly  affect  the  Tartar 
character.  But  the  Mahometan  systtr  .  •  '^h 
courts  the  senses  and  appeals  to  the  passions, 
has  operated  no  further  on  the  Tartar,  than  to 
shave  his  head.  There  it  stops  ;  it  does  not 
enter  it,  nor  his  heart. 

"The  Tartar  is  a  man  of  nature,  not  of  art. 
His  philosophy  is  therefore  very  simple,  but 
sometimes  sublime.  Let  us  enumerate  some 
of  his  virtues.  He  is  a  lover  of  peace.  No 
lawyer  here,  perplexing  natural  rights  of  proper- 
ty. No  wanton  Helen,  displaying  fatal  charmr 
No  priest  with  his  outrageous  zeal  has  evr 
disturbed  the  peace.  Never,  I  believe,  did  a 
Tartar  speak  ill  of  the  Deity,  or  envy  his  fel- 
low-creatures. He  is  contented  to  be  what  he 
Hospitable  and  humane,   he    is   uniformly 


IS 


tranquil  and  cheerful,  laconic  in  thought,  word, 
atid  action.  This  i.'^  one  great  reason,  an ^  I 
think  the  greatest,  why  they  have  been  -or- 
stanily  persecuted  by  nations  of  a  different  dii- 


% 


f', 


I 


JOHN     LEDYARD, 


313 


irkable    a 
stance  of 
irt  of  the 
my  rr.iiid 
doctrines 
est  minds 
must  sure- 
1  the    less, 
;he  Tartar 
:^r  ;  -^h 

3  passions, 
ar,  than  to 
t  does   not 

not  of  art. 
simple,  but 
[jrate  some 
tDcace.      No 

of  proper- 
tal  charnif 
has  evr 
eve,  did  a 
ivy  his  fel- 
be  what  he 

uniformly 
ught,  word, 
tison,  an''  1 

been   cor- 
lifFerent  dii- 


r. 


'•it 


position,  and  why  they  have  always  fled  be- 
fore them,  and  been  content  to  live  anywhere, 
if  they  could  only  live  in  peace.  Some  have 
attributed  this  conduct  to  a  love  of  liberty. 
True  ;  but  their  ideas,  both  of  peace  and  lib- 
erty, are  different  from  ours.  The  Tartar  holds 
in  equal  estimation  his  dear  otium  and  his  li- 
bertas.  They  talk  much  of  liberty  in  England, 
for  example ;  but  I  think  it  would  be  less 
agreeable  for  a  Tartar  to  live  there  than  in 
Russian  Siberia,  where  there  is  less  libeiiy. 

''  The  Tartars,  indeed,  think  differently  from 
most  people  of  Europe,  and,  I  believe,  of  Afri 
ca.  If  the  Virginia  planters  were  to  give  their 
Negroes  more  commodious  honses  to  inhabit, 
instead  of  their  poor  huts,  and  encourage  them 
otherwise  to  live  in  them,  I  believe  the  Afri- 
can would  be  of  the  same  mind  as  the  planter, 
and  gladly  accept  the  proposal.  The  same 
thing  exactly  has  been  offered  here .  to  the  Ya- 
kuti  by  ti>e  crown ;  they  have  much  stronger 
inducements  to  accept  the  offer  than  the  Afri- 
can ;  but  they  have  not,  and  they  will  not, 
though  no  condition  accompanies  the  offer. 
They  will  inhabit  the  yourte. 

"The  yourte,  or,  as  the  American  Tartars 
call  it  pretty  generally,  wigwam,  is  in  this  coun- 
try a  substitute  for  a  tent.  In  milder  climates 
it  is  made  either  of  skins  or  bark  of  trees,  of 


II 


■f ;  'M 


'my 


%*!> 


'it  ''"'•  li'  '-^ 


:ii'f 


.  ,       ^.■.-  .  ..w   t 


314 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


sedge^or  some  other  kind  of  grass.  It  is  al- 
ways of  a  conical  form,  not  divided  into  apart- 
ments, having  an  aperture  at  the  top,  and  the 
fire  made  on  the  ground  under  it.  Around 
the  sides  of  the  yourte,  if  it  is  only  temporary, 
are  placed  the  baggage  and  furniture ;  if  it  is 
^^"^t  temporary,  seats  for  sitting  and  sleeping 
i;  .  are  ranged  around  the  sides.  The  yourtes 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Russian  towns  and  set- 
tlements are  made  a  little  differently  ;  they  are 
sunk  two  or  three  feet  in  the  ground,  square, 
and  divided  into  apartments,  the  frame  of  wood, 
the  sides  plastered  with  mud,  and  a  flat  roof 
covered  with  earth.  The  fire  is  in  the  centre, 
with  a  slight  little  chimney.  They  have  two 
or  three  little  windows;  in  summer,  of  talc; 
in  winter,  of  ice.  One  apartm  nt  of  the  yourte 
is  for  the  cow,  ox,  or  horse,  if  the  owner  should 
possess  any.  These  yourtes  resemble  not  a 
tent;  but  remote  from  towns  all  the  Tartars 
have  tents,  either  of  skins,  bark,  or  grass. 

'<  The  people  in  this  country,  that  are  born 
half  Russ  and  half  Tartar,  are  very  different 
from  the  Tartars  or  Russ,  and  much  superior 
to  either  of  them.  The  European  nations,  that 
intermarry  most  with  other  nations,  are  the 
handsomest.  How  far  may  this  cause  be  sup- 
posed to  have  made  the  Negro,  and  the  Tar- 
tar, so  different  from  the  European  ;  or,  which 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


315 


i 


is  more  probable,  have  made  the  European  so 
diflereiit  from  the  Tartar  and  Negro  ?  The 
Commandant  showed  me,  recently,  a  man  de- 
scended from  a  Yakuti  father  and  Rnssian 
mother,  and  the  son  of  this  man.  The  color 
of  tlie  first  descendant  is  as  fair  as  the  second, 
and  both  as  fair  as  the  Russian  mother  and 
grandmother.  After  the  first  descent,  intermar- 
riage has  a  less  perceptible  effect  on  the  color. 
This  change  of  the  color  by  intermarriage  is 
generally  from  the  darker  to  the  lighter.  The 
color  of  the  hair  and  eyes  also  inclines  to  be 
light,  but  does  not  always  accompany  the 
change  of  color  in  the  skin. 

"  Upon  the  whole,  as  I  have  said  before, 
with  respect  to  difference  of  color  with  the 
Indian  and  European,  they  appear  to  me  to  be 
the  eflect  of  natural  causes.  I  have  given 
much  attention  to  the  subject  on  this  conti- 
nent. Its  vast  extent,  and  the  variety  of  its 
inhabitants,  afford  the  best  field  in  the  world 
in  which  to  examine  it.  By  the  same  gentle 
gradation,  by  which  I  passed  from  the  height 
of  civilization  at  Petersburg  to  incivilization  in 
Siberia,  I  also  passed  from  the  fair  European 
to  the  copper  colored  Tartar.  I  say  the  copper 
colored  Tartar ;  but  there  is  the  same  variety 
of  color  among  the  Tartars  in  Siberia,  as 
among  the  other  nations  of   the    earth.      The 


■  ''hi'  ;' 
M^m' ..! 

mil 


III 


316 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHT. 


journal  of  a  Russian  officer,  which  I  have  seen, 
informs  me  that  the  Samoiedes,  among  whom 
he  lived  two  years,  are  fairer  than  the  Yakuti, 
who  are  of  a  light  olive,  and  fairer  than  the 
Tongusians,  or  the  Buretti,  who  are  copper  col- 
ored. Yet  the  three  last  mentioned  tribes  are 
all  Mongul  Tartars.  The  greater  part  of  man- 
kind, compared  with  European  civilization,  are 
uncivilized,  and  this  part  are  all  darker  than 
the  other.  There  are  no  white  savages,  and 
few  barbarous  people  that  are  not  brown  or 
black. 

"  The  equally  distinguishing  characteristic  of 
feature,  in  the  Tartar  face,  invites  me  into  a 
field  of  observation,  which  I  am  not  able  at 
pr'^sent  to  give  bounds  to.  I  must  therefore 
resign  it  to  those  who  have  leisure  and  a  taste 
for  such  inquiries,  contenting  myself  with  fur- 
nishing a  few  facts,  and  describing  this  strange 
dissimilarity  in  the  human  face,  according  to 
the  observations  I  have  made.  This  I  should 
be  able  to  do  anatomically ;  but  I  am  not. 
The  Tartar  face,  in  the  first  impression  it 
gives,  approaches  nearer  to  the  African  than 
the  European  ;  and  this  impression  is  strength- 
ened, on  a  more  deliberate  examination  of  the 
individual  features,  and  whole  compages  of  the 
countenance.  Yet  it  is  very  diiferent  from  an 
African  face.     The  nose  forms  a  strong  feature 


J0  1Ix\     L£DYARD. 


317 


,ve  seen, 
g  whom 

Yakuti, 
hau  the 
pper  col- 
ribes  are 

of  niaii- 
ition,  are 
ker   than 


m    the    liuman  face. 


among  the  Kalmuks 


iges, 


and 


brown  or 

;eristic  of 
le  into   a 
able   at 
therefore 
nd  a  taste 
with  fur- 
is  strange 
ording    to 
I  should 
am    not. 
ression    it 
ican    than 
strength- 
on   of  the 
ges  of  the 
It  from  an 
ng  feature 


I  have  seen  instancep 
where  the  nose  between 
the  eyes  has  been  much  flatter  and  broader, 
than  I  have  ever  witnessed  in  Negroes ;  and 
some  few  instances  where  it  has  been  as  broad 
over  the  nostrils  quite  to  the  end ;  but  the 
nostrils  in  any  case  are  much  smaller  than  in 
Negroes.  Where  I  have  seen  those  noses,  they 
were  accompanied  with  a  large  mouth  and  thick 
lips  ;  and  these  people  were  genuine  Kalmuk 
Tartars.  The  nose  protuberates  but  little  from 
the  face,  and  is  shorter  than  that  of  the  Eu- 
ropean. 

"  The  eyes  universally  are  at  a  great  dis- 
tance from  each  other,  and  very  small ;  at  each 
corner  of  the  eye  the  skin  projects  over  the 
ball ;  the  part  appears  swelled  ;  the  eyelids  go 
in  nearly  a  straight  line  from  corner  to  corner. 
When  open,  the  eye  appears  as  in  a  square 
frame.  The  mouth  generally,  however,  is  of 
a  middling  size,  and  the  lips  thin.  The  next 
remarkable  features  aie  the  cheek  bones.  These, 
like  the  eyes,  are  very  remote  from  each  other, 
high,  broad,  and  withal  project  a  little  forward. 
The  face  is  flat.  When  I  look  at  a  Tartar  en 
profile,  I  can  hardly  see  the  nose  between  the 
eyes,  and  if  he  blow  a  coal  of  fire,  I  cannot 
see  the  nose  at  all.  The  face  is  then  like  an 
inflated  bladder.     The  forehead  is  narrow  and 


t5| 


'"WHMMU 


'(:m3 


II.  ■!'' 


Ml: 


v^i      ' 


^'!f; 


i^! 


!'ii 


M  ,i 


V        "I 


318 


AMERICAN     B  I  0  G  U  A  1'  H  V  . 


low.  The  face  has  a  fresh  color,  and  on  tho 
cheek  bones  there  is  commonly  a  good  ruddy 
hue. 

"  The  faces  of  Tartars  have  not  a  variety 
of  expression.  I  think  the  predominating  one 
is  pride  ;  but  whenever  I  have  viewed  them, 
they  have  seen  a  stranger.  The  intermixture 
by  marriage  does  not  operate  so  powerfully  in 
producing  a  change  of  features,  as  of  complex- 
ion, in  favor  of  Europeans.  I  have  seen  the 
third  in  descent,  and  the  Tartar  prevailed  over 
the  European  features.  The  Tartars  from  time 
immemorir-.l  (I  mean  the  Asiatic  Tartars)  have 
been  a  people  of  a  wandering  disposition. 
Their  converse  has  been  more  among  beasts 
of  the  forest  than  among  men ;  and  when 
among  men,  it  has  only  been  those  of  their 
own  nation.  They  have  ever  been  savages, 
averse  to  civilization,  and  have  never  until 
very  lately  mingled  with  other  nations,  and 
now  rarely.  Whatever  cause  may  have  origin- 
ated their  peculiarities  of  features,  the  reason 
why  they  still  continue  is  their  secluded  way 
of  life,  which  has  preserved  them  from  mixing 
v/ith  other  people.  I  am  ignorant  how  far  a 
constant  society  with  beasts  may  operate  in 
changing  the  featiu'es,  but  I  am  persuaded  that 
this  circumstance,  together  with  an  uncultivated 
state  of  mind,  if   we  consider  a  long  and  un- 


JOHN     L  £  D  Y  A 11 D  , 


CiO 


interrupted  succession  of  ages,  must  account  in 
some  degree  for  tliis  remarkal)le   singuiaiity. 

"  Mr.  Jolm  Hunter,  of  London,  has  made,  or 
is  making,  some  anatomical  examinations  of 
the  head  of  a  Negro,  which  is  said,  externally 
at  least,  to  resemble  that  of  a  monkey.  If  I 
could  do  it,  I  would  send  him  the  head  of  a 
Tartar,  who  lives  by  the  chase,  and  is  con- 
stantly in  the  society  of  animals,  which  have 
high  cheek  bones  ;  and  perhaps,  on  examining 
such  a  head,  he  would  find  an  anatomical  re- 
semblance to  the  fox,  the  wolf,  tlie  bear,  or 
the  dog.  [  have  thought  that,  even  in  Europe, 
mechanical  employments,  having  been  contin- 
ued for  a  long  time  among  the  same  people, 
have  had  a  considerable  influence  in  giving  a 
uniform  character  to   their  features. 

"  1  know  of  no  people,  among  whom  there 
is  such  a  uniformity  of  features  (except  the 
Chinese,  the  Jews,  and  the  Negroes)  as  among 
the  Asiatic  Tartars.  They  are  distinguished, 
indeed,  by  dilfereiit  tribes ;  but  this  is  only 
nominal.  Nature  has  not  acknowledged  the 
distinction,  but,  on  the  contrary,  marked  them, 
wherever  found,  with  the  indisputable  stamp 
of  Tartars.  Whether  in  Nova  Zenibla,  Mon- 
golia, Greenland,  or  on  the  banks  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, they  are  the  same  people,  forming  the 
most    uumurous,  and,   if   we  must   except   the 


II 


If. 


320 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY 


111  ^^? 

IW,     fi?>.    JLi'.. 


ife 


i  ■  -TO  ><•■■ 
''.'!■■■  Pi  t'''^  I 


,1 


iSi*  i 


'',■ 

l»'l 

Wi 


I     u^ 


.1." 


im; 


!      •>!« 


'I"  • 
.:i?-      '''Hi 

^i^i  iiHll 


Chinesg,  the  most  ancient  nation  of  the  globe. 
But  I,  for  myself,  do  not  except  the  Chinese, 
because  I  have  no  doubt  of  their  being  of  the 
same  family. 

"  The  Tongusians,  the  Tchuktchi,  the  Ku- 
riles,  and  the  Nova  Zembleans  are  tattooed. 
The  Mohegan  tribe  of  Indians  in  America 
practised  tattooing.  I  find  as-  yet  nothing  anal- 
ogous to  the  American  cahunet,  except  in  the 
use  of  it.  The  Tartars  here,  when  they  smoke 
the  pipe,  give  it  round  to  every  one  in  the 
company.  The  form  of  the  pipe  is  universal- 
ly the  identical  form  of  the  Chinese  pipe.  1 
expect  to  find  it  in  America,  since  the  form 
of  the  pipe  on  the  tomahock  resembles  it. 
This  form  intimates  economy,  and  that  the 
original  custom  of  smoking  the  pipe  was  a 
mere  luxury.  It  holds  but  a  vfery  little.  The 
manner,  in  which  the  Tartars  and  Chinese  use 
it,  corroborates  that  idea.  They  make  but  one 
or  two  draughts  from  t^ie  pipe,  and  those  they 
swallow,  or  discharge  ;hrough  the  nose,  and 
then  put  the  pipe  by.  They  say  that  the 
smoke  thus  taken  is  exhilarating.  As  the 
Chinese  pipe  is  found  universally  among  the 
Siberian  Tartars,  I  think  it  probable  that  the 
custom  of  smoking  migrated  with  them  to 
America,  and  thence  by  Sir  Walter  Raleigh 
made    its  way    east    to    England.      If  so,    the 


JOHN     L  E  D  Y  A  R  D . 


321 


le  globe. 
Chinese, 
g  of  the 

the  Kii- 
tattooed. 
America 
ing  arial- 
pt  in  the 
ey  smoke 
le  in    the 
universal- 
pipe.       1 
the  form 
mbles    it. 
that    the 
)e  was   a 
tie.     The 
inese  use 
but  one 
lose  they 
:iosc,  and 
that    the 
As    the 
long    the 
that   the 
I  them    to 
Raleigh 
so,    the 


custom  has  travelled  in  a  singular  manner. 
Why  did  it  not  come  frorn  the  Tartars  west 
to  England  ? 

"  The  Asiatic  Tartars  never  change  their 
dress  ;  it  is  the  same  on  all  occasions  ;  in  the 
field,  in  the  house,  on  a  visit,  on  a  holiday. 
They  never  have  but  one  dress,  and  that  is  as 
fine  as  they  can  make  it.  Those  that  live 
with  the  Russians  in  their  villages  are  above 
mediocrity  as  to  riches,  but  discover  the  same 
indifterence  about  accumulating  more,  and  for 
the  concerns  of  to-morrow,  that  a  North  Amer- 
ican Indian  does.  They  stroll  about  the  vil- 
lage, and,  if  they  can,  get  drunk,  smoke  their 
pipe,  or  go  to  sleep.  The  gardens  of  the 
Russians  are  cultivated  more  or  less ;  but  theirs 
lie  undisturbed.  The  house  of  the  Ruisian  is 
a  scene  of  busy  occupation,  filled  with  furni- 
ture, provisions,  women,  children,  dirt,  "and 
noise  ;  that  of  the  Tartar  is  as  silent  and  as 
clfan  as  a  mosque.  If  the  season  admits,  the 
residents  are  all  abroad,  unless  perhaps  an  old 
woman  or  man.  There  is  very  little  furniture, 
and  that  rolled  up  and  bound  in  parcels  in  a 
corner  of  the  house,  and  i  o  appearance  of  pro- 
visions. If  it  happen  that  they  profess  the 
Russian  religion,  they  treat  it  with  strange  in- 
difference ;  not  think ingly,  but  because  they  do 
not  think  at  all  about  it. 

VOL.    XIV.  21 


\ 


:''M 


322 


A  M  E  U I  C  A  N     D  I  0  G  U  A  P  II  Y  . 


il' 


li     :i.'|l! 


t  ;•: 


til' 


"  I  have  not  as  yet  taken  any  vocabularies 
of  the  Tartar  languages.  If  I  take  any,  they 
will  be  very  short  ones.  Nothing  is  more  apt 
to  deceive  than  vocabularies,  when  taken  by 
an  entire  stranger.  Men  of  scientific  curiosity 
make  nse  of  them  in  investigating  qnestions 
of  philosophy  as  well  as  history,  and  I  think 
often  witli  too  much  confidence,  since  nothing 
is  more  difficult  than  to  take  a  vocabulary, 
that  shall  answer  any  good  ends  for  such  a 
purpose.  The  different  sounds  of  the  same 
letters,  and  of  the  same  combinations  of  letters, 
in  the  languages  of  Europe,  present  insur- 
mountable obstacle  to  making  a  Vov.^..jalary, 
which  shall  be  of  general  use.  The  different 
manner,  also,  in  which  persons  of  the  same 
langu^e  would  write  the  words  of  a  new  lan- 
guage, would  be  such,  that  a  stranger  might 
suppose  them  to   be  two  languages. 

'•  Most  uncultivated  languages  are  very  diffi- 
cult to  be  orthographized  in  another  language. 
They  are  generally  guttural ;  but  when  not  so, 
the  ear  of  a  foreigner  cannot  .accommodate 
itself  to  the  inflection  of  the  speaker's  voice, 
soon  enough  to  catch  the  true  sound.  This 
must  be  done  instantaneously  ;  and  even  in  a 
language  with  which  we  are  acquainted,  we 
are  not  able  to  do  it  for  several  years.  I  seize, 
for   instance,  the    accidental  moment,  when   a 


JOHN  LEDYAKD. 


323 


ibularics 

ly,  tliey 

loi-e  apt 

•ken    by 

curiosity 

questions 
I  tiiiiik 
nothing 

cabulary, 

c  such    a 

he   same 

3f  letters, 
insur- 

^^^..julary, 
diiferent 

the  same 
new  lan- 
er  might 

rery  diffi- 
[language. 
^n  not  so, 
)mmodate 
sr's  voice. 
Id.      This 
jven   in  a 
[inted,  we 
I  seize, 
when   a 


savage  is  iiicUned  to  give  me  the  names  of 
tilings.  Tlie  medium  of  this  conversation  is 
only  signs.  The  savage  may  wisli  to  give  me 
the  word  for  head,  and  lays  his  hand  on  the 
top  of  his  head.  1  am  not  certain  whether  lie 
means  the  head  or  the  top  of  the  head,  or  per- 
haps the  hair  of  the  head.  He  may  wish  to 
say  leg,  and  puts  liis  hand  to  the  cah*.  1  can- 
not tell  whether  he  means  the  kg,  or  the  calf, 
or  Jlcsh,  or  the  fesh.  There  are  other  difiicul- 
ties.  The  Island  of  Onalaska  is  on  the  coast 
of  America  opposite  to  Asia.  There  are  a  few 
Russian  traders  on  it.  Being  there  with  Cap- 
tain Cook,  1  was  walking  one  day  on  the  shore 
in  company  with  a  native,  who  spoke  the  Rus- 
sian language.  I  did  not  understand  it.  I  was 
writing  the  names  of  several  things,  and  point- 
ed to  the  ship,  supposing  he  would  understand 
that  I  wanted  the  name  of  it.  He  answered 
me  in  a  phrase,  which  in  Russ  meant,  /  know. 
I  wrote  down,  «  ship.  1  gave  him  some  snuff, 
which  he  took,  and  held  out  his  hand  for 
more,  making  use  of  a  word,  which  signified 
in  Russ,  a  little.     I  wrote,  more. 

"  Tlie  Asiatic  Tartars  have  different  meth- 
ods of  hunting  the  moose,  and  such  kind  of 
game,  but  the  most  prevalent  is  like  that  of 
American  Indians,  by  stratagem.  So  they  catch 
ducks  at  the  mouth  of  the  River  Kolyma;  so 


'A 


.  ,11 
.'I 


I!  '''I 
■    '.nil 


'I.:!!: 


L.^> 


II  'III 


324 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


the  Otaheitans  catch  fish  sometimes;  and  so 
the  uncivilized  parts  of  mankind  war  against 
each  other. 

"  I  understand  from  Captain  BiUings's  Jour- 
nal, that  the  universal  method  among  the 
Tchuktchi  Indians,  ii'  the  ceremony  of  mar- 
riage, is  for  the  man  to  purchase  the  woman, 
or  make  presents  to  her  parents.  It  is  also 
customary  for  the  young  man  to  serve  a  stip- 
ulated time  with  the  parents  of  the  bride.  In 
case  of  disunion  afterwards,  whicli  happens 
without  passion,  the  presents  that  have  been 
made  are  returned.  If  either  party  dies,  the 
other  marries  again  as  soon  as  convenient ; 
and  the  sooner  the  better,  they  say,  because 
they  ought  not  to  lament  what  can  be  repaired. 
I  suppose  the  love  in  this  case  below  that 
which  existed  in  the  bosoms  of  Elojse  and 
Abelard,  and  i  suppose  the  philosopiiy  as  much 
above  .heirs  as  the  love  is  below.* 

"  All  the  Asiatic  Tartars,  like  the  aborigines 

*  The  tbll'^wing  description  from  Dr.  Clarke's  Travels, 
is  applied  to  the  Kalniuks  where  he  travelled  on  the  bor- 
ders of  Persia,  in  the  country  of  the  Cossacs.  "The  cer- 
emony of  iiiarriage,"  says  he,  '•  among  the  iCalinuks,  is  per- 
formed on  horseback.  A  girl  is  first  mounted,  who  rides 
ofT  in  full  speed.  Her  lover  pursues ;  if  he  overtakes  her, 
she  becomes  his  wife,  and  the  marriage  is  consummated 
upon  the  spot  After  this,  she  returns  with  him  to  his  tent. 
But  it  toin^umta  happens,  that  tho  woman  doea  not  wish 


JOHN     LE'^'YAUD, 


325 


;  and   so 
f   against 


;s's  Joiir- 


ong 


the 
of  mar- 
;  woman ; 
t    is   also 
ire  a  stip- 
}ride.     In 
liappens 
lave    been 
dies,    the 
r.veuieiit ; 
/-,  because 
B  repaired, 
elow  that 
ilo-'se    and 
y  as  much 

aborigines 

le's  Travels, 
on  tlie  bor- 
"  The  cer-  . 
inuks,  is  per- 
(1,  who  rides 
»vertakcs  her, 
consummated 
m  to  his  tent, 
oea  not  wish 


of  America,  entertain  the  same  general  notions 
of  theology,  namely,  that  there  is  one  great 
and  good  God,  and  that  he  is  so  good  that 
they  have  no  occasion  to  address  him  for  the 
bestowm.ent  of  any  favors  ;  and,  being  good,  he 
will  certainly  do  theni  no  injury.  But  they 
suffer  many  calamities;  so  they  say  there  is 
another  being,  the  source  of  evil  ;  and  that  he 
Uiust  be  very  powerful,  because  the  evils  in- 
flicted on  them  are  numerous.  To  this  mis- 
chievous deity,  therefore,  they  sacrifice.  From 
him  they  expect  no  favors,  and  do  not  ask 
any,  but  deprecate  his  wrath.  Their  Sliamants,- 
or  priests,  ha/j  therefore  nothing  to  do  with 
the  good  God ;  their  business  is  solely  with 
the  other,  whom  they  make  free  to  parcel  out 
into  a  guat  variety  of  characters,  assigning  to 
each  evil  a  presiding  subordinate  spirit.  This 
affords  the  Shamant  an  opportunity  of  playing 
his  tricks  in  an  extraordinary  manner. 

"  Mr.   Pennant   observes,   that  the    Scythians 

to  marry  the  person  by  whom  she  's  pursued ;  in  this  case 
she  will  not  suffer  him  to  overtako  lier.  We  were  assured, 
that  no  instance  occurs  of  a  Kalmuk  girl  being  thus  caught, 
unless  she  have  a  partiality  for  her  pursuer,  if  she  dis- 
likes him,  she  rides,  to  use  the  language  of  English  sports- 
men, neck  or  nothing,  until  she  has  completely  effected  her 
escape,  or  until  the  pursuer's  horse  becomes  ex!iauslef1< 
leaving  her  a*  liberty  to  return,  and  to  be  atlerwarda 
chased  by  some  more  favored  admirer."     Vol.  I.  Ch.  15. 


\W 


m€4 


•■J 


I 


m 


■!i.i 


''■'1 


mm 

,;:■     t'l;,,'!      'I; 


l?!;i 


326 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


scalped  their  enemies.  1  have  ever  thought, 
since  my  voyage  with  Captain  Cooic,  that  the 
same  custom  under  ditferent  forms  exists 
throughout  the  islands  in  the  Pacific  Ocean. 
It  is  worthy  of  remark  tliLc  though  the  In- 
dians at  Owhyhee  brought  a  i)art  of  Captain 
Cook's  head,  yet  they  had  cut  all  the  hair  oft', 
which  they  did  not  return  to  us.  I  have  also 
frequently  observed  the  islanders  to  wear  great 
quantities  of  false  human  hair.  All  savage  na- 
tions are  fond  of  preserving  some  badge  or 
testimonial  of  the  victory  over  their  enemies, 
of  this  kind.  The  ancient  Scythians  and  North 
American  Indians  have  preferred  the  scalp,  and, 
among  the  South  Sea  Islanders,  teeth  and  hair 
are  in  repute  ;  all  of  them  giving  preference  to 
some  part  of  the  head. 

"  The  wampum,  so  universally  in  use  among 
the  Tartars  apparently  as  an  ornament,  I  can- 
not but  suspect  is  used  as  a  substitute  for  let- 
ters in  representing  their  language,  by  a  kind 
of  hieroglyphic  record.  I  intended  to  make 
this  a  subject  of  attention,  and  to  have  draw- 
ings taken  of  the  Asiatic  and  American  wam- 
pum, with  the  view  of  comparing  them,  but 
have  not  been  able  to  do  it.  I  have  seen  the 
initials  of  a  Tartar's  name  worked  in  the  wam- 
pum, on  the  borders  of  his  garment.  A  people 
having    such    great    respect  for  tlieir  ancestors, 


Hi '"" 


thought. 

that  the 
IS  exists 
c  Ocean. 

the  Ill- 
Captain 
!  hair  off, 
have  also 
ear  great 
avage  na- 
badge   or 

enemies, 
md  North 
calp,  and, 

and  hair 
ference  to 

se  among 
It,   I  can- 
te  for  let- 
)y  a  kind 
to   make 
ive  draw- 
can  wam- 
them,  but 
!  seen  the 
the  wam- 
A  people 
ancestors, 


JOHN      L  K  D  Y  A  R  D 


327 


as  the  Tartars  have,  would  naturally  endeavor 
to  preserve  some  memorials  of  them." 

Such  are  the  observations  of  our  traveller, 
on  the  aboriginal  inhabitants  of  Siberian  Asia. 
In  considering  the  Kalmuks,  Bnretti,  Tongu- 
sians,  and  Yakuti,  as  descendants  of  the  Mon- 
guls,  he  accords  with  other  writers;  but  he 
advances  a  bold  and  novel  opinion  in  classify- 
ing all  these  races  with  the  North  American 
Indians,  Greenlanders,  and  the  Chinese. 

It  is  true,  the  point  seems  never  to  have 
been  established,  how  far  the  affinities  between 
different  tribes,  or  nations  of  men,  must  be  car- 
ried, in  order  to  bring  them  within  the  same 
ge'ieral  class.  Traditions,  ceremonies,  bodily 
form  and  features,  habits, 'laws,  religion,  and 
resemblance  of  languagr  must  all  be  taken 
into  the  account.     Wnert  is  a  similarity 

in  many  of  these  particulars,  it  "ay  be  safely 
inferred,  that  the  people  among  v  horn  th*  y 
exist,  although  inhabiting  regions  remote  from 
each  other,  have  sprung  from  a  common  ori- 
gin ;  but  it  does  not  follow  with  equal  prob- 
ability, that  where  this  similarity  is  least  ob- 
servable, or  perhaps  unperceived,  they  are  to 
be  set  down  as  radically  distinct  races  of  men. 
So  innumerable  are  the  causes  of  change,  in 
all  these  respects,  that  no  ruie  of  this  sort  can 
be    assumed,  as    applicable    to   any    individual 


V 


328 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


■!5|! 


•H' 


ilvivf .  ■■-^!  "! 


case  wbatever.  Customs,  laws,  pursuits,  dress, 
modes  oi'  life,  vary  .with  the  cHmate  aud  the 
productions  of  the  soil.  People  who  live  by 
the  chase  and  by  fishing  will  have  (ew  of  the 
habits  of  agriculturists.  Approaches  to  civili- 
zation will  gradually  introduce  a  thousand  new 
customs. 

Language  has  been  thought  the  best  crite- 
rion, by  which  to  judge  of  the  affinity  between 
different  races;  and  doubtless  it  is.  That  two 
nations  should  speak  languages  closely  resem- 
bling each  other,  is  hardly  possible,  unless  they 
originated  from  the  same  stock.  Yet  it  can  by 
no  means  be  inferred  with  as  much  certainty, 
that,  because  there  is  a  wide  dissimilarity  in 
their  languages,  the  sources  whence  they  sprang 
were  as  widely  dissimilar.  The  same  causes 
which  change  the  habits  of  men,  under  new 
circumstances,  will  change  their  language.  New 
words,  and  new  combinations  of  words,  will  be 
required  to  express  ideas  not  known  before. 
The  intermhigling  of  migratory  tribes,  speaking 
different  languages,  must  also  introduce  total 
confusion,  out  of  which  would  most  likely 
grow  up  a  dialect,  bearing  little  analogy  to 
either  of  the  primitive  tongues.  Let  such  a 
process  be  carried  on  for  many  generations,  by 
a  succession  of  interm  xtures,  and  what  clew 
would  there  be  to    guide  the  inquirer  through 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


329 


this   labyrinth    of  mutations    back  to    the    first 
fountain  ? 

When  it  is  considered,  moreover,  that  all 
these  tongues  are  unwritten  and  without  any 
recognized  principles,  the  perplexity  is  increased 
a  hundred  fold.  According  to  recent  discov- 
eries, the  Tschukchi,  the  natives  inhabiting  the 
American  side  of  Bering's  Strait,  the  Eski- 
maux,  and  the  Green  landers,  speak  languages 
which  have  many  marks  of  affinity.  Their 
common  origin  is  a  very  natural  inference. 
Owing  to  a  more  recent  separation,  or  fewer 
intermixtures,  their  language  has  been  preserved 
with  something  of  its  primitive  form.  Had 
the  same  ftivorable  circumstances  attended  the 
migrations  of  other  tribes,  we  might  perhaps 
now  trace  them  to  the  same  source,  with  as 
much  appearance  of  probability.  We  might 
possibly  detect  similar  resemblances  between 
the  Iroquois  and  the  Yakuti,  the  Mohegan§ 
and  the  Kamtschadales,  and  even  the  Poly- 
nesians and  the  Kalmuks. 

In  short,  the  state  of  the  question  is  simply 
this ;  where  obvious  analogies  exist,  we  may 
afRrm  a  connection  between  the  tribes  in  which 
they  prevail,  at  some  remote  or  proximate  peri- 
od; but  where  they  do  not  exist,  we  can  say 
nothing  on  the  subject.  In  the  latter  case,  we 
have  no  warrant  for  deciding  one  way  or  the 
other. 


C.  p 


li 


■r  I 


<?<K),';iv 


m^ 


^,ijjji 


If:  ' 


MM^ 
% 


K 


$' 


't  I 


?l;'i 


?>il 


■   M-J' 


'm 


m^ 


mm 


Nli 


x:  ■! 


IK 


§ 


LI: 


330 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPIiy. 


Taken  in  this  view,  no  well  founded  ob- 
jection can  be  advanced  against  Ledyard's 
opinion,  althongli  il  v/ould  not  be  easy  to  es- 
tablish it  by  a  consecutive  series  of  proofs.  It 
was  the  result  of  a  long  observation  of  general 
appearances,  rather  than  of  a  minute  and  me- 
thodical research.  It  was  not  with  him  an  idle 
speculation,  indulged  for  the  moment,  and  then 
dismissed.  After  his  return  from  Siberia,  he 
reiterated  the  same  sentiments.  In  coiniection 
with  a  short  account  of  his  travels,  he  writes 
to  a  friend  in   these  emphatic  words. 

"  You  will  please  to  accept  these  two  ob- 
servations, as  the  result  of  extensive  and  assid- 
uous inquiry.  They  are  with  me  well  ascer- 
tained facts.  The  first  is,  that  the  difference 
of  color  in  the  human  species  (as  the  obser- 
vation applies  to  all  but  the  Negroes,  whom  I 
have  not  visited)  originates  from  natural  causes. 
The  second  is,  that  all  the  Asiatic  Indians, 
called  Tartars,  and  all  the  Tartars  who  formed 
the  later  armies  of  Genghis  Khan,  together 
with  the  Chinese,  are  the  same  people,  and 
that  the  American  Tartar  is  also  of  the  same 
family ;  the  most  ancient  and  numerous  people 
on  earth,  and  the  most  uniformly  alike.'' 

In  this  place  may  be  inserted,  also,  his  re- 
marks to  Mr.  Jefferson,  in  a  letter  written  near- 
ly at    the   same    time  with  the  above.      .4.fter 


JOHN     L  E  D  Y  A  R  D  . 


331 


ided  ob- 
Led  yard's 
sy  to  es- 
)roofs.  It 
if  general 
and  mc- 
n  an  idle 
and  then 
iberia,  he 
onnection 
he  writes 

5  two  ob- 
ind  assid- 
ell  asccr- 
difference 
he  obser- 
,  whom  I 
ral  causes. 
J  Indians, 
ho  formed 
together 
iople,  and 
the  same 
)us  people 

0,  his  re- 
it  ten  near- 
^e.      A.fter 


reiterating  his  opinion,  in  regard  to  the  causes 
of  the  difference  of  color  in  the  human  race, 
he  continues; 

"  I  am  certain,  that  all  the  people  you  call 
red  people  on  the  continent  of  Amerioa,  and 
on  the  continents  of  Europe  and  Asia,  as  far 
south  as  the  southern  parts  of  China,  are  all 
one  people,  by  whatever  names  distinguished, 
and  that  the  best  general  name  would  be  Tar-r 
tar.  I  suspect  that  all  red  people  are  of  the 
same  family.  I  am  satisfied,  that  America  was 
peopled  from  Asia,  and  had  some,  if  not  all, 
its  animuis  from  thence. 

"I  am  satisfied,  that  the  great  general  anal- 
ogy in  the  customs  of  men  can  only  be  ac- 
counted for,  by  supposing  them  all  to  compose 
one  family ;  and,  by  extending  the  idea,  and 
uniting  customs,  traditions,  and  history,  I  am 
satisfied,  that  this  common  origin  was  such,  or 
nearly,  as  related  by  Moses,  and  commonly  be- 
lieved among  the  nations  of  the  earth.  There 
is,  also,  a  transposition  of  things  on  the  globe, 
that  must  have  been  produced  by  some  cause 
equal  to  the  effect,  which  is  vast  and  curious. 
Whether  I  repose  on  arguments  drawn  from 
facts  observed  by  myself,  or  send  imagination 
forth  to  find  a  cause,  they  both  declare  to  me 
a  general  deluge." 

It  will  be  perceived,  that  he  uses  the  word 


'i:,;;^'A 


H, 


mm',  $ 

Mb  k 

•fel'ib,- <  ^> '■  I      fill 


;?<! 


i^i 


IS' 


i't'?  i 


ii^^i' 


■j^a 


m\  '\ 


332 


AMERICAN'     B  1  0  G  U  A  P  H  r  . 


Tartar  in  a  broader  sense'  than  is  commonly 
given  to  it,  embracing  not  only  all  the  north- 
ern Asiatic  races  and  the  Chinese,  but  likewise 
the  aborigines  of  North  America.  Pallas  says, 
that  ejiren  the  Monguls  and  Kalmuks  are  not 
rightly  called  Tartars,  and  that  these  latter 
people  are  different  from  the  former  in  their 
origin,  customs,  political  establishments,  and  the 
lineaments  of  their  features.  They  inhabit  the 
northern  regions  of  Thibet,  and  Western  Sibe- 
ria, never  mingling  with  the  Kalmuks.  These 
facts  in  no  degree  affect  Ledyard's  use  of  the 
word.  He  employs  it  as  a  general  term,  and 
in  a  definite  manner,  without  regard  to  its 
original  meaning. 


CHAPTER    XI. 


Climate  in  Siberia.  —  Particulars  concerning  that 
Country.  —  Ledyard's    celebrated    Eulogy    on 

.  Women.  —  Captain  Billings  meets  him  at  Ya- 
kutsk. —  Bering^s  Discovery.  —  Russian  Voy- 
ages. —  Russian  Fur  Trade.  —  Billings^ s  Ex- 
jpedition.  —  His  Instructions. 

A  FEW  other  selections  on  miscellaneous 
topics  will  now  be  made  from  that  part  of 
the  journal   which   was  written  at  Yakutsk. 


'i:  M 


JOHN     LEDYARD, 


333 


"  At  Kazan  there  is  abundance  of  snow  ;  at 
Irkutsk,  which  is  in  about  the  same  latitude, 
very  httle.  Here  at  Yakutsk  the  atmosphere 
is  constantly  charged  with  snow  ;  it  sometimes 
falls,  but  very  sparingly,  and  that  ui  the  day- 
time ;  rarely,  if  ever,  at  night.  The  air  is 
much  like  that  which  we  experienced  with 
Captain  Cook  in  mare  glaciali,  between  the  lat- 
itudes of  seventy  and  seventy-two ;  seldom  a 
serene  sky,  or  detached  clouds ;  the  upper  re- 
gion is  a  dark,  still,  expanded  vapor,  witi:  few 
openings  in  it.  The  lower  atmosphere  on- 
tains  clouds  floating  overhead,  resembling  fog- 
banks.  In  general  the  motion  of  everything 
above  and  below  is  languid.  The  summers 
are  said  to  be  dry;  the  days  very  hot,  nights 
cold,  and  the  weather  exceedingly  changeable, 
subject  to  high  winds,  generally  from  the  north, 
and  sometimes  heavy  snows  in  August.  I  have 
seen  but  one  aurora  borealis,  and  that  not  an 
extraordinary  one. 

"  The  people  in  Yakutsk  have  no  wells. 
They  have  tried  them  to  a  very  great  depth, 
but  they  freeze  even  in  summer  ;"  consequently 
they  have  all  their  water  from  the  river.  But 
in  winter  they  cannot  bring  water  in  its  fluid 
state ;  it  freezes  on  the  way.  It  is  then 
brought  in  large  cakes  of  ice  to  their  houses, 
and    piled    up    in    their    yards.      As    water    is 


'■*ft 


1'( 


I 


'm 


!! 


n" 


i 

m 

H '; 


]i 


%l  ^ 


'■'*■' ' 


i  •■■![!  .1 

J! 
'I 

111 

■Itll 


"t| 


134 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHT. 


wanted,  they  bring  these  pieces  of  ice  into  the 
Avarm  rooms,  where  they  tliaw,  and  become  fit 
for  use.  Milk  is  brought  to  market  in  the 
same  way.  A  Yakuti  came  into  our  house 
to-day  with  a  bag  full  of  ice.  '  What,'  said  I 
to  Laxman,  '  has  the  man  brought  ice  to  sell 
in  Siberia  ? '  It  was  milk.  Clean  mercury 
exposed  to  the  air  is  now  constantly  frozen. 
By  repeated  observations  I  have  found  in  De- 
cember, that  two  ounces  of  quicksilver,  openly 
exposed,  have  frozen  hard  in  fifteen  minutes. 
It  may  be  cut  with  a  knife,  like  lead.  Strong 
cognac  brandy  coagulated.  A  thermometer, 
filled  with  rectified  spirits  of  wine,  indicated 
thirty-nine  and  a  half  degrees  on  Reaumur's 
scale.  Captain  Billings  had,  on  the  borders  of 
the  Frozen  Ocean  the  winter  K  ore  last,  forty- 
three  degrees  and  three  fourths  by  the  same 
thermometer.  In  these  severe  frosts  the  air  is 
condensed,  like  a  thick  fog ;  the  atmosphere 
itself  is  frozen  ;  respiration  is  fatiguing  ;  all  ex- 
ercise must  be  as  moderate  as  possible ;  one's 
confidence  is  in  his  fur  dress.  It  is  a  happy 
provision  of  nature,  that  in  such  intense  colds 
there  is  seldom  any  wind ;  when  there  is,  it  is 
dangerous  to  be  abroad.  In  these  seasons, 
there  is  no  chase :  the  animals  submit  them- 
selves    to   hunger   and    security,   and    so    does 


JOHN     LEDYARO. 


335 


nto  the 
ome  fit 

ill  the 
r  house 
'  said  I 

to  sell 
iicrcury 

frozen. 
.  ill  De- 
,  openly 
tninntes. 

Strong 
nometer, 
ndicated 
3au  mar's 
)rders  of 
St,  forty- 
he  same 
he  air  is 
nosphere 

;  all  ex- 
e ;    one's 

a  happy 
ise  colds 
e  is,  it  is 

seasons, 
lit  them- 

so    does 


man.     All  natnre    groans  beneath    the  rigorous 
winter.* 

"  The  first  settlers  here  [Russians]  came 
round  by  the  North  Sea,  about  two  hundred 
and  fifty  years  ago.  A  gentleman  showed  me 
to-day  a  copy  of  a  marriage  contract  done  at 
Moscow,  two  hundred  and  five  years  ago.  It 
is  a  folio  page,  and  there  are  only  sixteen 
words  intelligible  to  an  ordinary  reader,  which 
correspond  to  the  orthography  of  the  present 
day.  Many  instances  of  longevity  occur  in  this 
place.  Xi*ere  is  a  man  one  hundred  and  ten 
years  old,  who  is  in  perfect  health,  and  labors 


*  The  following  is  the  statement  of  Captain  Cochrane, 
respecting  the  degree  of  cold  at  tlie  River  Kolyma,"  which 
lie  visited  in  the  winter  of  1820-21.  "  The  weather  proved 
exceedingly  cold  in  January  and  February,  but  never  so 
severe  as  to  prevent  our  walks,  except  during  those  times 
when  the  wind  was  high ;  it  then  became  insupportable 
out  of  doors,  and  we  were  oblijjed  to  remain  at  home. 
Forty  degrees  of  frost  of  Fahrenheit  never  appear  to  affect 
U3  in  calm  weather,  so  much  as  ten  or  fifteen  during  the 
time  of  a  breeze.  Forty-three  of  Reaumur,  or  seventy-seven 
of  Fahrenheit,  have  been  repeatedly  known.  I  virill,  also, 
add  my  testimony  from  experiment  to  the  extent  of  forty- 
two.  I  have  also  seen  the  minute  book  of  a  gentleman  at 
Yakutsk,  where  forty-seven  of  Reaumur  were  registered, 
equal  to  eighty-four  of  Fahrenheit." 

By  various  experiments  it  has  been  proved,  that  mer- 
cury congeals  at  thirty-two  degrees  below  zero  of  Reau- 
mur^s  scale,  and  forty  of  Fahrenheit's. 


,V''»^  kfjt  •' 

m  mi 


*   I 


Hi;: 


l*-»>l;ir!; 
il '  ill  il 


i 


■  '?i 


■  f|ii 


SJ    if 


[•;.■,■'(  !  !S' 


W4 


5^'  ij  1*^1  ti 


;"1        1   ' 

111  ■  i|  : 

,ikNI    I 


I* 


*     ! 


'  I 


330 


AMERICAN     BI0GHAPI17. 


daily.  The  images  iu  tlie  Russian  houses, 
which  I  should  take  for  a  kind  of  household 
gods,  are  very  expensive.  The  principal  ones 
have  a  great  deal  of  silver  lavished  on  them. 
To  furnish  out  a  house  properly  with  these 
Dii  Minores,  would  cost  a  large  sum.  When 
burnt  out,  as  I  have  witnessed  several  times, 
the  people  have  appeared  more  anxious  for 
these  than  for  anything  else.  The  images 
form  almost  the  whole  decoration  of  the 
churches,  and  those  melted  in  one  of  them 
just  burnt  down,  are  estimated  to  Ug-ve  been 
worth  at  least  thirty  thousand  roubles.  The 
warm  bath  is  used  by  the  peasantry  here  early 
in  life,  from  which  it  is  common  for  them  i^ 
plunge  into  the  river,  and  if  there  happens  to 
be  new  fallen  snow,  they  come  naked  from 
the  bath  and  wallow  therein.  Dances  are  ac- 
companied, or  rather  pjerformed,  by  the  same 
odd  twisting  and  writhing  of  the  hips  as  at 
Otaheite. 

"  Dogs  are  here  esteemed  nearly  in  the  same 
degree  that  horses  are  in  England ;  for  be- 
sides answering  the  same  purpose  in  travel- 
ling, they  aid  the  people  in  the  chase,  and, 
after  toiling  for  them  the  whole  day,  become 
tlieir  safeguard  at  night.  Indeed,  they  com- 
mand the  greatest  atttMitioii.  There  are  dosr 
farriers   to    attend    them  in   sickness,  who  are 


JOHN     LEDYARI^. 


337 


luiuses, 
lousehold 
ipal  ones 
on  them, 
ith    these 
I.     When 
•al    times, 
xious   for 
e    images 
1    of    the 

of  them 
^ve  heen 
les.  The 
here  early 
Dr  them  lo 
lappens  to 
aked  from 
;es  are  ac- 

the   same 
hips    as  at 

1  the  same 
d  ;  for  be- 
in  travel- 
chase,  and, 
ay,  become 
they  com- 
;re  are  dog 
IS,  who  are 


no  des])icuble  rivals  in  art,  at  least  in  preten- 
sion, to  the  horse  doctors  of  civilized  Europe. 
JDogs  also  command  a  high  price.  What  they 
call  a  leading  dog  of  prime  character  will  sell 
for  three   or  four  hundred  roubles. 

"  Every  body  in  Yakutsk  has  two  kinds  of 
v/indows,  the  one  for  summer,  and  the  other 
for  winter.  Those  for  the  latter  season  are 
of  many  different  forms  and  materials ;  but  all 
are  so  covered  with  ice  on  the  inside,  that 
they  are  not  transparent,  and  are  so  far  use- 
less. You  can  sec  nothing  without,  not  even 
the  body  of  the  sun  at  noon.  Ice  is  most 
commonly  used  for  windows  in  winter,  and 
talc  in  summer.  These  afford  a  gloomy  kind 
of  light  within,  that  serves  for  ordinary  pur- 
poses. 

"  The  Russ  dress  in  this  region  is  Asiatic  ; 
long,  loose,  and  of  the  mantle  kind,  covering 
almost  every  part  of  the  body.  It  is  a  dress 
not  originally  calculated  for  the  latitude  they 
inhabit.  Within  doors  the  Russian  is  Asiatic  ; 
without,  European.  The  Empress  gives  three 
ranks  to  officers  that  come  into  Siberia,  and 
serve  six  years ;  two  while  out  from  Peters- 
burg, and  one  on  their  return.  It  has  two 
important  effects,  one  to  civilize  Siberia,  and 
the  other  to  prostitute  rank.  I  have  before 
my  eyes  the  most  consummate  scoundrels  iu 
VOL.  XIV.  22 


MFTjf 


mm  m 

B   !.-    ,M  >  i**  r  M      it' '  i- 

4   1:  -'■:  ■     'Mk\ 


ll' 


"'  -fyi!:; 


!■;» 


Wwi'  -Mi. 
MI!  '11 


1;  I 


338 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


the  universe,  of  a  rank  that  in  any  civilized 
country  would  be  a  signal  of  the  best  virtues 
of  the  heart  and  the  head,  or  at  least  of  com- 
mon honesty  and  common  decency.  The  suc- 
cession of  these  characters  is  every  six  years. 

"  So  strong  is  the  propensity  of  the  Rus- 
sians to  jealousy,  that  they  are  guilty  of  the 
lowest  offences  on  that  account.  The  obser- 
vation may  appear  trivial,  but  an  ordinary  Rus- 
sian will  be  displeased  if  one  even  endeavors 
to  gain  the  good  will  of  his  dog.  I  affronted 
the  Commandant  of  this  town  very  highly,  by 
permitting  his  dog  to  walk  with  me  one  af- 
ternoon. He  expostulated  with  me  very  seri- 
ously about  it.  This  is  not  the  only  instance. 
I  live  with  a  young  Russian  officer,  with 
whom  I  came  from  Irkutsk.  No  circumstance 
nas  ever  interrupted  the  harmony  between  us, 
but  his  dogs.  They  have  done  it  twice.  A 
pretty  little  puppy  he  has,  came  to  *  me  one 
day,  and  jumped  upon  my  knee.  I  patted  his 
head,  and  gave  him  some  bread.  The  man 
flew  at  the  dog  in  the  utmost  rage,  and  gave 
him  a  blow  which  broke  his  leg.  The  les- 
son I  gave  him  on  the  occasion  has  almost 
cured  him,  for  I  bid  him  beware  how  he  dis- 
turbed my  peace  a  third  time  by  this  rascally 
passion. 

"  I    have   obsc^i  ved  from    Petersburg    to    this 


^  . 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


339 


civilized 
t  virtues 
of  com- 
riie  suc- 
ix  years, 
he    Rus- 
y  of   the 
le  obser- 
lary  Rus- 
Biideavors 
affronted 
lighly,  by 
;    one    af- 
very  seri- 
T  instance, 
cer,    with 
;umstance 
itween  us, 
wice.     A 
me   one 
[patted  his 
'he    man 
and  gave 
The   les- 
is   almost 
he  dis- 
|s  rascally 

to   this 


place,  that  the  Russians  in  general  have  few 
moral  virtues.  The  bulk  of  the  people  are 
almost  without  any.  The  laws  of  the  coun- 
try are  mostly  penal  laws ;  but  all  laws  of 
this  kind  are  little  else  than  negative  instruc- 
tors. They  inform  the  people  what  they  shall 
not  do,  and  affix  the  penalty  to  the  transgres- 
sion  ;  but  they  do  not  inform  people  what  they 
ought  tQ  do,  and  affix  the  reward  to  virtue. 
Untaught  in  the  sublime  of  morality,  the  Rus- 
sian has  not  that  glorious  basis  on  which  to 
exalt  his  nature.  This,  in  some  countries,  is 
made  the  business  of  religion  ;  and,  in  others, 
of  the  civil  laws.  In  this  unfortunate  coun- 
try, it  is  the  business  of  neither  civ'i  nor  ec- 
clesiastical concernment.  A  citizen  bore  fulfils 
his  duty  to  the  laws,  if,  like  a  base  Asiatic,  he 
licks  the  feet  of  his  superior  in  rank  ;  and  his 
duty  to  his  God,  if  he  nils  his  house  with  a 
set  of  ill  looking  brass  and  silver  saints,  and 
worships  them.  It  is  for  these  reasons,  that 
the  peasantry  in  particular  are  the  most  lui- 
principled  in  Christendom.  I  have  looked  for 
certain  virtues  of  the  heart,  that  are  called 
natural.  I  find  them  not  in  the  most  obscure 
villages  of  the  empire.  On  the  contrary,  I  find 
the  rankest  vices  to  abound  there,  as  much  as 
in  the  capital   itself." 

A  few    isolated    facts    will     now    be    added, 


i 


<'^1';  il^ali 


B 


*'■■    ■'•'ill, 


m 


iJ'i' 


It 


il  'it 


340 


AK!3R1CAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


which  he  collected  chiefly  from  the  informa- 
tion of  others,  but  which  he  deemed  worthy 
of  a  place   in  his  journal. 

"  The  Tongusians  are  tattooed.  The  Sa- 
moiedes  have  the  double  headed  paddle.  They 
fish  with  nets  under  the  ice.  The  Buretti 
have  the  Mahometan  lock  of  hair.  The  Ku- . 
riles  are  tattooed.  A  journal  of  a  Russian  offi- 
cer says  they  are  very  hairy.  They  traffic 
with  the  Japanese  in  feathers  and  fish.  The 
islands  have  little  vege  ation.  The  people  are 
reserved  in  conversation  ;  they  are  comely ; 
have  their  materials  for  ,)oat  and  house  build- 
ing from  the  continent,  or  from  the  Japanese. 
They  are  very  wild,  and  receive  strangers  with 
the  most  threatening  and  formal  appearance, 
but  afterwards  they  are  kind  and  hospitable. 
The  coast  of  the  Frozen  Ocean  is  full  of 
trees  and  driftwood  for  five  versts  out.  It  is 
remarked  by  the  Russians,  that  since  their 
knowledge  of  those  regions,  the  land  has  in- 
creased towards  the  sea,  and  driven  it  north- 
wards, a  circumstance  attributable,  perhaps,  to 
the  large  rivers  that  empty  themselves  there, 
Informed  that  the  custom  of  staining  the  nails 
of  the  fingers  of  a  scarlet  color,  is  common 
near  the  Caspian  and  Black  Seas.  I  saw  one  , 
instance  of  it  in  the  neighborhood  of  Kazan. 
It    is    likewise   a    custom    among    the    Cochin 


informa- 
d  worthy 

The  Sa- 
e.  They 
e  Buretti 
The  Ku". 
ssian  offi.- 
ey  traffic 
5h.  The 
people  are 

comely ; 
use  build- 
Japanese, 
igers  with 
ppearance, 
lospitable. 
s  full  of 
ut.  It  is 
nee  their 
id  has   in- 

it  north- 
)erhaps,  to 
ves  there, 
r  the  nails 
;  common 
I  saw  one 
of  Kazan, 
le    Cochin 


JOHN     LED YARD. 


341 


Chinese.  I  saw  it  at  the  Island  of  Perlo  Con- 
dor. Tiie  custom  of  calling  7ohn  the  son  of 
John,  Alexander  the  son  of  Alexander,  prevails 
among  the  Russians." 

The  preceding   selections  embrace  nearly  ail 
that  is  contained  in  the  journal,  under  the  dates 
of   his  residence  at  Yakutsk,  except   the  cele- 
brated eulogy  on  women,  which   was   likewise 
written    at    that    place.      This    beautiful     and 
touching    tribute  to  the  superiority   of  the   fe- 
male  character,   is   the  more  to    be  valued,  as 
coming  from   one  whose  sphere  of  observation 
and   experience    had    been    such    as   to   enable 
him  to  speak  with  confidence,  and  whose   sin- 
cerity cannot   be    suspected.      It  is  the  simple 
effusion    of  a    grateful    heart,    recorded    in    his 
private  journal,  not  intended  for  the  public  eye, 
and    obviously    written,    like    the    rest    of    the 
manuscript  compositions  left  behind  him,  with- 
out any  other  design  than   to  quicken  his  own 
recollections,    or   perhaps    amuse    his    intimate 
friends    in   a   vacant    hour.      This    eulogy  was 
first  printed,  shortly  after  the  author's  death,  in 
the  "  Transactions  of  the  Africar.  Association," 
in  which  it  was  inserted  by  Mr.  Beaufoy,  secre- 
tary to  that  body,  who  then    had  the  Siberian 
journal  in  his  possession.      It    has    often    been 
reprinted,  and  universally  admired,  not  more  for 
the    sentiments   it    contains,    and   the    genuine 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 

feeling  that  pervades  it,  than  for  its  terse  and 
appropriate  language.  The  original  has  been 
altered  in  some  of  the  transcripts.  It  is  here 
introduced  as  found  in   the  journal. 

"I  have  observed  among  all  nations,  that 
the  women  ornament  themselves  more  than 
the  men ;  that,  wherever  found,  they  are  the 
same  kind,  civil,  obliging,  humane,  tender  be- 
ings ;  that  they  are  ever  inclined  to  be  gay 
and  cheerful,  .Ximorous  and  modest.  They  do 
not  hesitate,  like  man,  to  perform  a  hospitable 
or  generous  action  ;  not  haughty,  nor  arrogant, 
nor  supercilious  but  full  of  courtesy  and  fond 
of  society  ;  industrious,  economical,  ingenuous ; 
more  liable  in  general  to  err  than  man,  but 
in  general,  also,  more  virtuous,  and  performing 
more  good  actions  than  he.  I  never  addressed 
myself  in  the  language  of  decency  and  friend- 
ship to  a  woman,  whether  civilized  or  savage, 
without  receiving  a  decent  and  friendly  answer. 
With  man  it  has  often  been  otherwise.  In 
wandering  over  the  barren  plains  of  inhospita- 
ble Denmark,  through  honest  Sweden,  frozen 
Lapland,  rude  and  churlish  Finland,  unprinci- 
pled Russia,  and  the  wide  spread  regions  of 
the  wandering  Tartar,  if  hungry,  dry,  cold, 
wet,  or  sick,  woman  has  ever  been  friendly  to 
me,  and  uniformly  so ;  and  to  add  to  this  vir- 
tue, so  worthy   of  the   appellation    of  benevo- 


JOHN     L  E  D  y  A  II D  . 


343 


erse  and 
tias  been 
t  is  here 

ons,  that 
ore    than 

are   the 
jnder  be- 
I   be   gay 
They  do 
hospitable 
arrogant, 
and  fond 
igenuous ; 
man,  but 
lerforming 
addressed 
nd  friend- 
Dr  savage, 
ly  answer, 
wise.      In 
inhospita- 
en,  frozen 

unprinci- 
egions  of 
dry,  cold, 
friendly  to 
0  this  vir- 
)f  benevo- 


lence, these  actions  have  been  performed  in  so 
free  and  so  kind  a  manner,  that,  if  I  was  dry, 
I  drank  the  sweet  draught,  and,  if  hungry,  ate 
the   coarse   morsel,  with  a  double  relish." 

By  these  specimens  of  his  journal,  we  may 
judge  how  the  traveller  employed  himself  at 
Yakutsk,  during  the  weary  days  of  his  com- 
pulsory residence  <liere.  He  had  not  been 
quite  two  months  in  this  town,  when  Captain 
Billings  arrived  from  his  expedition  to  the 
River  Kolyma,  and  the  Frozen  Ocean.  An 
intimate  acquaintance  had  formerly  subsisted 
between  Ledyard  and  Billings.  The  latter 
had  been  an  assistant  to  the  astronomer  Bay- 
ly, duriwg  the  whole  of  Cook's  last  voyage. 
He  was  now  employed  under  the  orders  of 
the  Empress  of  Russia,  on  a  mission  for  ex- 
ploring the  northeastern  regions  of  her  territo- 
ries, and  for  prosecuting  discoveries  in  geog- 
raphy and  natural  science.  Billings  was  muck 
surprised  at  meeting  his  old  acquaintance  in 
the  heart  of  Siberia,  not  having  heard  from 
him  since  their  separation  at  the  close  of  the 
voyage.  Meantime  he  had  entered  the  Rus- 
sian service,  and  by  a  concurrence  of  favorable 
circumstances,  not  easy  to  be  accounted  for, 
had  obtained  the  command  of  a  very  impor- 
tant expedition. 

Ledyard  was  no  doubt  glad  to  meet  a    per- 


J  lit  "'  "JSA    - 


•■,    '»  'I' ' 


II  <>^ 


•>   <    1 


AMERlCAiN     BIOGUAPHY. 


.soil,  ill  this  rude  quarter  of  the  world,  who 
could  speak  his  own  language,  and  who  had 
some  recollections  in  common  with  himseir ; 
but,  in  other  respects,  the  companionship  was 
not  sucli  as  to  promote  his  advantage,  or  his 
enjoyment.  Billings  gave  no  proof  that  he 
was  competent  to  the  high  trust  reposed  m 
him  by  the  Russian  government,  or  that  he 
possessed  qualities  suited  to  win  the  esteem  of 
his  associates. 

A  few  remarks,  relating  to  the  purposes  of 
the  expedition  just  alluded  to,  may  very  well 
De  introduced  in  this  place,  as  in  some  of  its 
parts  it  was  more  or  less  in  unison  with  the 
designs  of  the  American  traveller.  Russian 
enterprise  had  by  no  means  been  backward  in 
pushing  discoveries  to  the  east  and  north,  even 
at  a-  comparatively  early  period.  About  the 
middle  of  the  seventeenth  century,  Deschiiolf 
and  his  comjianions  passed  down  the  Kolyma, 
sailed  along  the  coast  of  the  Tchuktchi  coun- 
try, in  the  Icy  Sea,  and  thence  discovered  a 
route  by  land   from  this  coast  to  Anadir. 

Other  adventures  were  undertaken,  and  dis- 
coveries made,  at  successive  periods,  by  Stad- 
uchin,  Markoff,  Willegin,  and  AmossotF.  But 
the  journeys  and  voyages  of  these  persons  had 
extended  only  to  the  Tchuktchi  territory, 
Anadir,   Kamtschatka,   the    Kurile  Islands,  and 


JOHN     LEDYAUD. 


345 


id,  who 
ho  had 
limsoU' ; 
[lip  was 
,  or  his 
that  lie 
)osed  ill 
that  he 
steeni  of 

poses  of 
ery  well 
le  of  its 
with   the 
Russian 
iward  ill 
rth,  even 
30 ut    the 
>eschiivjlf  . 
Kolyma, 
li  couii- 
overed   a 
ir. 

and  dis- 
Dy  Stad- 
ff.  But 
sons  had 
territory, 
aids,  and 


to  the  neighboring  seas.  Neither  the  strait 
which  separates  Asia  from  America,  nor  any 
})art  of  the  American  coast  on  the  northwest, 
nor  the  Aleutian  Islands,  had  been  visited  be- 
fore the  year  1728,  when  Captain  Bering 
made-  his  voyage  of  discovery.  This  voyage 
was  planned  by  Peter  the  Great,  who  wrote 
out  with  his  own  iiand  the  instructions  for  the 
command«u\  He  died  before  they  were  put  in 
execution,  but  the  Empress,  who  succeeded 
him,  carried  tlie  original  design  into  effect. 
Captain  Bering  was  despatched  to  Kam- 
tschatka,  with  orders  to  construct  two  vessels 
there,  and  to  sail  in  them  for  the  purpose  of 
examining  the  coast  towards  the  east  and 
north,  and  of  ascertaining,  if  possible,  whether 
Asia  and  Amer'ca  were  separated  by  the  ocean. 
In  the  year  above  mentioned  he  made  this 
voyage,  and  discovered  the  strait,  to  which  his 
name  has  been  given.  He  kept  so  close  to 
I  ho  Asiatic  shore,  that  he  did  not  see  the  Amer- 
ican coast ;  but  he  sailed  northward,  till,  on 
doubling  a  cape,  he  saw  an  open  sea  before 
him,  which  presented  a  boundless  horizon  to 
the  north  and  west,  and  convinced  him  that 
the  two  continents  nowhere  came  in  contact 
with  each  other.  The  season  was  far  ad- 
vanced, and  he  returned  to  the  River  of  Kam- 
tschatka,  where  he  wintered. 


Wm^ip 


iV 


11 


3m: 


'>!l  r> 


ills  I  ■  'is  '"t 

■■i!i  ' 


346 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


The  success  of  this  voyage  was  such  as  to 
encourage  the  government  to  undertake  others. 
A  plan  was  formed  for  navigating  the  whole 
northern  coast  of  Russia,  from  Archangel  to 
Kamtschatka.  Several  expeditions  were  fitted 
out  for  this  purpose  from  Archangel,  the  mouths 
of  the  Ob,  Yenissey,  Lena,  and  Kolyma;  and 
after  incredible  sufferings  by  the  officers  and 
men  engaged  in  them,  and  the  loss  of  a  great 
many  lives  in  those  terrific  regions  of  cold  and 
privation,  all  further  attempts  were  abandoned. 
Some  new  portions  of  the  coast  were  exam- 
ined, but  much  remained  unexplored,  and  has 
continued  so  to  this  day.  No  passage  has 
been  effected  entirely  round  the  north  coast 
of  Asia,  any  more  than  round  that  of  America. 

Twelve  years  after  his  first  disct)very,  Be- 
ring made  another  voyage,  fell  in  with  the 
Aleutian  Islands,  explored  the  American  coast 
for  a  considerable  distance,  and  discovered  and 
named  Mount  Saint  Elias.  In  returning  to 
Kamtschatka  at  the  beginning  of  winter,  he 
was  driven  in  distress  upon  an  island  near  the 
Asiatic  coast,  where  he  and  several  of  his  men 
died.  The  island  has  since  borne  his  name. 
The  remnant  of  his  crew  arrived  in  the  spring 
at  Kamtschatka. 

From  this  period  the  Russians  kept  up  an 
active  fur  trade,  from  Okotsk  and  Kamtschatka, 


.n»IIN      Li;  DVAHI). 


^.[\ 


o  1/ 


ih  as  to 
3  others. 
e  whole 
in  gel  to 
ire  fitted 
J  mouths 
na  ;  and 
cers  and 
f  a  great 

cold  and 
andoned. 
re  exam- 

and  has 
!sage  has 
rth    coast 

America, 
very,  Be- 
with  the 
can  coast 
vered  and 
Liming  to 
vinter,  he 
1  near  the 
f  his  men 
his  name, 
the  spring 

ept  up  an 
mtschatka, 


with  the  natives  of  the  Aleutian  Islands,  but 
voyages^  of  discovery  ceased  for  a  long  time. 
A  tribute  in  furs  was  collected  for  the  Rus- 
sian government  from  the  natives,  by  the 
traders  who  went  among  them,  and  authentic 
accounts  are  related  of  barbarities  practised  by 
the  latter  against  the  former,  in  their  exactions 
of  labor  in  procuring  furs,  equalling  in  cruelty 
the  servitude  of  the  mitas,  inflicted  by  the 
Spaniards  in  South  America  on  the  Indians, 
whom  they  compelled  to  work  in  the  mines. 
The  party  of  traders  whom  Ledyard  visited 
at  Onalaska,  however,  cannot  be  brought  under 
this  imputation  in  its  full  extent,  for  he  de- 
scribes them  as  kind  to  the  natives  whom  he 
saw  with  them.  It  is  to  be  considered,  never- 
theless, that  the  cruelties  were  principally  suf- 
fered by  those  who  were  sent  abroad  to  hunt 
and  trap,  and  made  to  endure  cold,  and  hun- 
ger, and  all  the  severities  of  the  climate. 
These  suff'erers  would  not  come  under  the 
traveller's  observation,  in  the  short  time  that 
he  remained  v%^ith  the  traders  at  Onalaska. 

Such  was  the  state  of  the  Russian  fur  trade 
on  the  American  coast,  from  the  date  of  Be- 
ring's last  discoveries  till  that  of  Cook's  voy- 
age to  the  northern  polar  seas,  a  period  of 
about  forty  years.  During  that  space  the  gov- 
ernment aopears  to  have  paid  no  attention  to 


ft' 


ti  I 


5,:;' 


^■V, 


348 


AMEKICAN     BiUOWAI'Hy. 


the  subject,  except  to  take  care  tliat  its  agents 
at  Okotsk  and  Katntscliatka  gatliered  tribute 
from  the  islands.  But  when  Cook's  last  voy- 
age began  to  make  a  noise  in  Europe,  and  his 
discoveries  on  the  Northwest  Coast  of  Amer- 
ica and  in  the  adjoining  seas  to  be  known, 
the  sagacious  Catharine  was  quick  to  perceive 
that  her  interests  were  involved  in  the  affair, 
and  that  it  was  time  for  her  to  look  to  these 
remote  and  hitherto  neglected  parts  of  her 
dominions.  In  short,  an  expedition  was  planned 
on  a  large  and  libn'al  scale,  and  it  was  re- 
solved that,  in  pre^  aing  for  it,  nothing  should 
be  spared  which  was  necessary  to  combine  in 
it  all  possible  facilities  for  prosecuting  discov- 
eries, both  by  land   and  by  sea. 

Professor  Pallas,  who  was  a  favorite  with 
the  Empress,  and  who  had  travelled  in  Sibe- 
ria under  her  patronage,  was  particularly  instru- 
mental in  suggesting  and  maturing  this  plan. 
The  choice  of  a  commander  was  an  important 
consideration,  and  this  was  at  last  effected 
wholly  through  the  interest  of  the  professor. 
Mr.  Billings,  who  had  recently  obtained  a  lieu- 
tenancy in  the  Russian  service,  had  found 
means  to  insinuate  himself  into  the  favor  of 
Pallas,  and  to  impress  him  with  a  high  opin- 
ion of  his  understanding  and  knov/ledge  ;  in 
which  he  discovered,  however,  after  it  was  too 


JOHN     LEDYAIID, 


349 


s  agents 
tribute 
ist  voy- 
and  his 
Amei- 
known, 
perceive 
e   affair, 
to   these 
of    her 
planned 
was    re- 
3  should 

o 

iibine  in 
discov- 


•ite    with 
in   Sibe- 
ly  iiistru- 
his   plan, 
important 
effected 
oi'ofessor. 
ed  a  lieu- 
ad    found 
favor    of 
ligh  opin- 
ledge  ;    in 
it  was  too 


late,  that  he  was  unfortunately  niistalien.  The 
circumstance  of  this  lieutenant  having  been 
with  Cook,  in  the  regions  that  were  to  be  ex- 
plored, filling  a  station  which  g;ive  him  some 
pretensions  to  a  science,  was  thought  to  be  a 
strong  recommendation  ;  and  so  it  wcr'd  have 
been,  if  in  more  important  ^esijects  he  had 
possessed  the  qualities  of  a  C(jinmander,  and  a 
man  of  enterprise.  In  these  he  was  singularly 
deficient ;  as  was  fully  demonstrated  in  the  se- 
quel of  the  expedition.  He  was  appointed  to 
the  command,  and  left  Petersburg  for  Siberia, 
in  October,  1785,  about  eighteen  months  be- 
fore Ledyard  arrived  in  the  Russian  capital. 

The  instructions  to  Billings  were  so  well 
drawn  up,  that  they  deserve  a  passii.g  notice. 
They  were  prepared  on  the  basis  of  those 
which  had  been  written  by  Peter  the  Great 
for  Captain  Bering.  Every  provision  was 
made  for  the  advancement  of  science  and  geo- 
graphical knowledge,  as  well  as  for  extending 
the  influence  of  the  Russian  government  in 
remote  and  unknown  parts.  The  great  specific 
objects  were,  to  determine  the  latitude  and  lon- 
gitude of  lite  mouth  of  the  River  Kolyma, 
and  the  line  of  coast  from  that  point  to  the 
East  Cape  in  Bering's  Strait  ;  the  construction 
of  an  exact  chart  of  the  Eastern  Ocean,  and 
the   islands    between    Asia  and    America;    and 


1  M!i 


llif!. 


i! 


» ; i  Lt  111' 

K«!.''ie!;:."ii 

ii?  .'  li 

,1 


§.^i  .^ 


li?? 


Mm 


m 


W'  '^  f 


350 


A  M  i:  It  I  C  A  N      B  1  O  (i  II  A  F  M  Y . 


►f  all 


;h   knowledge  of  th 


the  attuiiiinen 

regions  as  might  serve  to  illustrate  the  reign 
of  her  Im])erial  Majesty,  by  improving  the  con- 
dition and  promoting  the  ha])])iness  of  the  na- 
tives inhabiting  those  distant  lands,  and  by 
collecting  and  diffusing  new  truths  of  science, 
for  the  general  benefit  of  mankind. 

The  instructions  for  scientific  researches  were 
minute,  persjiicuous,  and  explicit.  Professor 
Pallas  was  much  consulted  in  prefaring  them. 
And,  indeed,  the  separate  articles  for  the  nat- 
uralist, drawn  up  with  admirable  precision  and 
method,  were  entirely  from  his  pen,  and  issued 
with  his  signature.  Observations  in  geography 
and  meteorology,  exact  delineations  of  charts, 
and  notes  of  electrical  phenomena,  variations 
of  the  needle,  and  of  barometrical  and  ther- 
mometrical  changes,  were  expressly  required. 
The  various  departments  of  the  animal,  vege- 
table, and  mineral  kingdoms  were  ajso  particu- 
larized, and  the  utmost  care  enjoined  in  col- 
lecting specimens,  and  forwarding  them  to 
Petersburg.  Drawings  were  to  be  made  of 
curious  and  extraordinary  objects.  The  man- 
ners, disposition,  and  occupations  of  the  natives 
were  to  be  described,  and  also  their  modes  of 
living,  government,  religions,  their  dresses,  arms, 
and  manufactures.  Moreover,  vocabularies  of 
their  languages  were  ordered  to   be  made,  ac- 


JOHN     L  U  1)  Y  A  U  O  . 


351 


wording  to  a  model  previously  fmnislied.  The 
commander,  the  naturalist,  and  all  the  princi- 
pal officers,  were  directed  to  keep  journals  for 
the  future   inspection  of  the  Admiralty. 

Another  feature  in  these  instructions  deserves 
to  be  mentioned.  In  case  any  savage  tribes 
should  be  discovered,  who  had  not  been  ac- 
quainted with  civilized  ])C()])le,  it  was  positive- 
ly ordered,  that  they  should  be  treated  with 
kindness,  and  that  the  best  means  should  be 
used  to  conciliate  their  good  opinion.  They 
were  never  to  be  approached  in  a  hostile  way, 
unless  such  a  step  should  appear  absolutely 
necessary  for  self-defence.  On  this  point  the 
instructions  are  as  full  and  definite  as  on  oth- 
ers, and  breathe  a  spirit  of  humanity  which, 
if  it  had  been  uniformly  felt  and  acted  upon 
by  discoverers,  would  have  prevented  innumer- 
able scenes  of  bloodshed  and  misery,  which 
have  marked  the  early  intercourse  between  civ- 
ilized and  savage  men. 

Captain  Billings  was  allowed  to  select  his 
own  officers  and  privates,  and,  as  an  encour- 
agement to  all  the  persons  engaged,  much 
higher  pay  was  granted  than  was  usual  in  the 
regular  service,  with  the  promise  of  additional 
rewards.  The  officers  were  to  be  promoted  as 
the  enterprise  advanced,  and  particularly  at  its 
conclusion.      The  Governor-General  of  Irkutsk 


I 


,1-.'     -It:;;"!' 

I 'if    ' 


352 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY 


was  ordered  to  render  all  needful  assistance, 
and  unite  his  best  efforts  with  those  of  the 
commander  to  execute  the  designs  of  the  Em- 
press. No  expedition  was  ever  more  liberally 
provided,  and  none  ever  commenced  under  bet- 
tor auspices. 

When  Ledyard  met  Billings  at  Yakutsk,  he 
had  been  more  than  two  years  absent  from 
Petersburg,  and  had  spent  tiie  preceding  season 
at  the  mouth  of  the  River  Kolyma,  attempt- 
ing to  pass  along  the  coast  in  boats  construct- 
ed for  the  purpose.  The  ice  threatened  him, 
and  he  accomplished  nothing,  though  his  lieu- 
tenant was  extremely  desirous  to  push  forward, 
at  a  time  when,  to  all  but  the  commander, 
there  seemed  a  prospect  of  success.  He  had 
now  returned,  with  the  intention  of  going  to 
If\ /'-ok,  and  there  superintending  the  transpor- 
tation of  various  articles  to  Okotsk,  where  they 
were  wanted  for  preparing  the  vessels,  in  which 
he  expected  to  make  a  voyage  to  the  Ameri- 
Gtm  coast  in  the  following  summer.  This 
was  the  opportunity,  \vliich  Ledyard  hoped  to 
embrace  for  securing  his  passage  from  one  con- 
tinent to  the  other. 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


CHAPTER   XII. 


353 


Ledyard  returns  to  Irkutsk.  —  Is  seized  by  Order 
of  the  Em_press,  and  hurried  off  in  the  Charge 
of  two  Guards.  —  Returns  through  Siberia  to 
Kazan.  —  Further  Observations  on  the  Tartars. 

—  Posses  Moscoio,  and  arrive*  in  Poland.  — 
Proceeds  to   Konigsberg,  and  thtnce  to  London. 

—  inquiry  into  the  Motives  of  the  Empress.  — 
Her  Declaration  to  Count  Segur.  ~~  Lafayette'' s 
Remark  on  her  Conduct. 

That  we  may  not  anticipate  events,  we  will 
again  take  up  our  traveller  at  Yakutsk,  where 
we  left  him  with  Captain  Billings,  then  just 
returned  from  the  Kolyma,  near  the  end  of 
November.  Here  they  lived  toget.ier  about 
five  .^eeks.  Meantime  Billmgs  was  making 
preparation  for  his  journey  to  Irkutsk,  and  in- 
vited Ledyard  to  accompany  him  thither. 
This  invitation  he  readily  accepted,  since  it 
was  impossible  for  him  to  proceed  to  Okotsk 
before  spring ;  nor  indeed  would  any  object  be 
gained  by  such  a  journey,  till  C;  ptain  Billings 
himself  should  return  to  that  place,  and  his 
vessels  be  got  in  readiness ;  for  no  chance  of  a 
was 


passage 


ikely 


A-Ccordingly,  he  joined  Captain  Billings's  party, 


P 

1: 


hi*'! 


m 

m 

m 

m 

ffl 

w 

VOL.    XIV. 


23 


■t  ■:.■■ 


5  .    :. 


''  '"^■■■' 


'i:;'i 


m 

•    I    !     :!rl, 
'■;ill  -I 


354 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


which  left  Yakutsk  on  the  29th  of  December, 
and  travelled  in  sledges  up  the  River  Lena  on 
the  ice.  With  such  speed  did  they  move  for- 
ward by  this  mode  of  conveyance,  that  they 
reached  Irkutsk  in  seventeen  days,  having 
passed  over  a  distance  of  fifteen  hundred  miles. 
Ledyard's  voyage  down  the  river  in  a  canoe 
had  taken  up  twenty-two  days. 

Nothing  is  found  recorded  in  his  journal, 
during  this  second  visit  to  Irkutsk.  In  Sauer's 
account  of  Billings's  expedition,  the  fate  which 
overtook  him  there  is  made  known  to  us,  and 
the  manner  in   which  he  submitted  to  it. 

"  In  the  evening  of  the  24th  of  February," 
says  Sauer,  "  while  I  was  playing  at  cards 
with  the  brigadier  and  some  company  of  his, 
a  secretary  belonging  to  one  of  the  courts  of 
justice  came  in,  and  told  us,  with  gf^at  oon- 
cern,  that  the  Governor-General  had  received 
positive  orders  from  the  Empress,  immediately 
to  send  one  of  the  expedition,  an  Englishman, 
under  guard  to  the  private  Inquisition  at  Mos- 
cow, but  that  he  did  not  know  the  name  of 
the  person,  and  that  Captain  Billings  was  with 
a  private  party  at  the  Governor-General's. 
Now,  as  Ledyard  and  I  were  th*r  only  Eng- 
lishmen here,  I  could  not  help  smiling  at  the 
news,  when  two  hussars  came  into  the  room, 
and  told  me,  that  the  Commandant  wished  to 
speak  to  me  immediately.      The  consternation 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


3/J5 


into  which  the  visitors  were  thrown  is  not  to 
be  described.  I  awssiired  them  that  it  must  be 
a  mistake,  and  w^nt  with  the  guards  to '  the 
Commandant. 

"  There  I  found  Mr.  licdyard  under  arrest. 
He  told  me  that  he  had  sent  to  Captain  Bil- 
Hngs,  but  he  would  not  come  to  him.  Ho 
then  began  to  explain  his  situation,  and  said 
he  was  taken  up  as  a  French  spy,  whereas 
Captain  Billings  could  prove  the  contrary,  but 
he  supposed  that  he  knew  nothing  of  the  mat- 
ter, and  requested  that  I  would  inform  him. 
I  did  so,  but .  the  Captain  assured  me,  that  it 
was  an  absolute  order  from  the  Empress,  and 
that  he  could  not  help  him.  He,  however, 
sent  him  a  few  roubles,  and  gave  hin"  a  pe- 
lisse ;  and  I  procured  him  his  linen  quite  wet 
from  the  wash-tub.  Ledyard  took  a  friendly 
leave  of  me,  desired  his  remembrance  to  his 
friends,  and  with  astonishing  composure  leaped 
into  the  kibitka,  and  drove  off,  with  two 
guards,  one  on  each  side.  I  wished  to  travel 
with  him  a  little  way,  but  was  not  permitted. 
I  therefore  returned  to  my  company,  and  ex- 
plained the  matter  to  them  ;  but  though  this 
eased  their  minds  with  regard  to  my  fate,  it 
did  not  restore  their  harmony."* 


I 


'  v'-l 

".ml 

■4 


*  See  Sauer's  Jlccount  of  a  Geographical  and  Jislro- 
romical  Expedition  to  thf  JVorthern  Partr  of  Russia,  &c. 
p.  100. 


IB 


1^*' 


Kb'!. 


If; 


lAkf^ 


m 


»»•!'  1; 


356 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


^•i 


%* 


•ill 


One  word  rliore  only  needs  be  added  respect- 
ing Billings.  He  went  to  Okotsk  in  the  sum- 
mer, made  a  voyage  to  the  Aleutian  Islands, 
and  thence  to  Bering's  Strait.  From  the  Bay 
of  St.  Lawrence  he  passed  across  the  Tchiik- 
Ichi  country  to  the  River  Kolyma  by  land, 
whence  he  proceeded  to  Yakutsk,  and  at  length 
returned  to  Petersburg,  after  an  absence  of 
seven  or  eight  years.  No  evidence  exists  tlirit 
his  labors  were  of  any  service  to  Russia  r^-  to 
the  world,  either  in  the  field  of  discovery  or 
the  departments  of  science.  Sauer's  book  has 
made  his  incompetency  notorious.  The  mis- 
fortune was,  that  this  should  have  been  found 
out  so  late.  Captain  Burney,  who  was  well 
acquainted  with  Billings  while  on  Cook's  voy- 
age, observes,  in  alluding  to  LedyarJ's  arrest, 
"  If  the  Empress  had  understood  the  charac- 
ters of  the  two  men,  the  commander  of  tlie 
expedition  would  probably  have  been  ordered 
to  Moscow,  and  Ledyard,  instead  of  being  de- 
nied entertainment  in  her  service,  have  been 
appointed  to  supply  his  place."  * 

Being  now  a  prisoner,  Ledyard  was  under 
the  entire  control  of  his  two  guards,  who 
conducted  him,  with  all  the  spond  with  which 
horses  and  sledges  could  riuivey  them,  towards 


*  Burney'8    (%'onoloa^u'nl    History   of  the    JVortheastu-n 
Voyage;!  qf  Discovery ^  p.  5i79. 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


357 


■ospect- 
le  sum- 
Islands, 
le  Ba  y 
rchuk- 
(    land, 

length 
lice  of 
5ts  tliat 
a  <' c  to 
very  or 
)ok  lias 
ie  nJs- 
1  found 
as  well 
i's  voy- 
!  arrest, 
charac- 

of  the 
ordered 
ing  de- 
e    been 

under 
is,  who 
1  which 
towards 

rtheastu-n 


Moscow,  exposed  to  the  extreme  rigors  of  a 
Siberian  winter.  In  such  a  situation,  it  cannot 
be  presumed,  that  he  would  have  either  the 
heart  or  leisure  to  write  in  his  journal.  A  few 
particulars  only  are  recorded,  and,  to  these  a 
place  will  now  be  given.  Dates  are  rarely 
noted.  The  following  was  apparently  written 
soon  after  he  let't  Irkutsk. 

"  My  ardent  hopes  are  once  more  blasted, 
the  almost  half  accomplished  wish.  What  se- 
cret machinations  have  been  at  work?  What 
motive?  But  so  it  suits  her  royal  Majesty  of 
all  the  Russias,  and  she  has  nothing  but  her 
pleasure  to  consult ;  she  has  no  nation's  re- 
sentment to  apprehend,  for  I  am  the  minister 
of  no  state,  no  monarch.  I  travel  under  the 
common  flag  of  luimanity,  commissioned  by 
myself  to  serve  the  world  at  large ;  and  so 
the  poor,  the  unprotected  wanderer  must  go 
wuere  sovereign  will  ordains ;  if  to  death,  why 
then  my  journeying  will  be  over  sooner,  and 
rather  ditfercntly  from  what  I  contemplated , 
if  otherwise,  why  then  the  royal  dame  has 
taken  me  much  out  of  my  way.  But  I  may 
pursue  another  route.  The  rest  of  the  world 
lies  uninterdicted.  Though  born  in  the  freest 
of  the  civilized  countries,  yet,  in  the  present 
state  of  privation,  I  have  a  more  exquisite 
sense  of  the  amiable,  the  immortal    nature    of 


fitl 


\  ■^^.■  ■  ■  ^! 


^am 


■^.i 


w 


'*&■* 


'^^'■ 


358 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


liberty,  than  I  ever  had  before.  It  would  be 
excellently  qualifying,  if  every  man,  who  is 
called  to  preside  over  the  liberties  of  a  people, 
should  once  (it  would  be  enough)  actually  be 
deprived  'of  his  liberty  unjustly.  He  would 
be  avaricious  of  it,  more  than  of  any  other 
earthly  possession.  I  could  love  a  country  and 
its  inhabitants,  if  it  were  a  country  of  freedom. 
There  are  two  kinds  of  people  I  could  anath- 
ematize, with  a  better  weapon  than  St.  Peter's ; 
those  who  dare  deprive  others  of  li)?ir  liberty, 
and  those  who  suffer  others  to  dc   it  ' 

Again  he  writes,  some  days  after  the  above, 
having  escaped  from  Siberia, 

''  I  am  now  at  Kazan ;  it  is  nine  months 
since  I  left  this  place  on  my  tour  eastward, 
and  I  am  nine  times  more  fully  satisfied,  than 
I  was  before,  of  some  circumstances  mentioned 
in  my  diary  in  June  last.  As  I  was  fond  of 
the  subjects  I  have  been  in  pursuit  of,  I  was 
apprehensive  that  I  might  have  been  rash  and 
premature  in  some  of  my  opinions  ;  but  I  cer- 
tainly have  not  been.  I  am  now  fully  con- 
vinced, that  the  difference  of  color  in  man  is 
solely  the  effect  of  natural  causes,  and  that  a 
mixture  by  intermarriage  and  habits  would  in 
time  make  the  species  in  this  respect  uniform. 
I  have  never  extended  my  opinion,  and  do  not 
now,  to  the  Negroes ;  but  should  I  live  to  visit 


JOHN  LEDYARD. 


359 


them,  I  shall  expect  to  find  the  same  data, 
leading  to  the  same  conclusion,  namely,  that 
they  are  like  the  other  two  classes  of  man, 
which  I  call  by  the  general  terms  of  white 
people  and  Indians.  Th.ere  are  many  reasons, 
that  rise  naturally  from  the  observations  on 
my  present  voyage,  which  induce  me  to  thhik 
so,  yet  I  still  wish  to  have  better.  I  expect, 
however,  the  result  will  be,  that  I  shall  find 
the  same  causes  existing  in  Africa  to  render 
the  Negro  blacker  than  the  Indian,  as  in  Asia 
to  render  the  Indian  darker  than  the  Eu- 
ropean. 

"  With  respect  to  the  national,  or  genealogi- 
cal connection,  which  the  remarkable  affinity 
of  person  and  manners  bespeaks  between  the 
Indians  on  this  and  on  the  American  conti- 
nent, I  declare  my  opinion  to  be,  without  the 
least  scruple,  and  with  the  most  absolute  con- 
viction, that  the  Indians  on  the  one  and  on 
the  other  are  the  same  people.  As  to  the 
origin  and  history  of  the  great  Tartar  Nation, 
little  has  been  essayed  ;  very  little  is  known 
even  of  the  extent  of  their  country.  Albu- 
gassi,  himself  a  noble  Tartar,'  has  said  much 
the  most  and  best  of  their  origin,  and  some- 
thing of  their  extent;  but  very  unsatisfactorily 
as  to  this  latter,  for  in  truth  he  knew  but  lit- 
tle about  it.     Like  a  soldier,  he  has  written  a 


m-i^ 


Hi,.   V'l'J 


l-v'll 


m 


t. 


iK/y. 


M: 


3  Sir:' 


If 

'    it;*    I 


^^mf 


^  ■  IT  iW; 


360 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY, 


kind  of  muster  roll  of  his  countrymen.  I  do 
not  remember  anything  like  philosophical  re- 
search in  his  history,  though  I  read  him  with 
avidity. 

"  Among  the  voyagers  in  this  country,  even 
the  most  modern,  I  have,  instead  of  more,  still 
less  information.  A  few  vocabularies  to  lead 
astray  those  who  would  wish  to  find  real 
knowledge,  and  an  account  of  a  few  customs, 
without  any  remarks  on  them,  constitute  near- 
ly the  amount  of  the  whole.  There  is,  indeed, 
very  little  of  value  said  about  this  great  peo- 
ple by  any  writers.  The  late  contest  about 
the  contiguity,  or  junction,  of  Asia  and  Amer- 
ica, has  accidentally  struck  •  out  a  few  obser- 
vations, and  one  now  and  then  finds  something 
philosophically  said  of  them,  but  very  unphilo- 
sophically  placed  among  quadrupeds,  fish,  fowls, 
plants,  minerals,  and  fossils.  When  the  histo- 
ry of  Asia,  and  I  add  of  America,  because  there 
is  an  intimate  connection  between  them,  shall 
be  as  well  known  as  that  of  Europe,  it  will 
be  found,  that  those  who  have  written  the 
history  of  man  have  begun  at  the  wrong 
end." 

What  passed  at  the  private  Inquisition  of 
Moscow,  when  Ledyard  and  his  guards  arrived 
in  that  city,  there  is  no  record  to  explain. 
Since  nothing  is  said  of  the  matter,  it  is  prob- 


JOHX     LED YARD 


361 


I  do 

ical  Fe- 
ll witli 

■y,  even 
)re,  still 
to   lead 
nd    real 
uistoms, 
te   near- 
indeed, 
Bat  peo- 
st  about 
1  Amer- 
,v  obser- 
mething 
imphilo- 
h,  fowls, 
le  histo- 
jse  there 
im,  shall 
i,  it   will 
tten    the 


wrong 


sition    of 

Is  arrived 

explain. 

t  is  prob- 


able, that,  if  he  was  taken  at  all  before  that 
body,  no  specific  charges  were  established,  or 
even  preferred,  as  in  truth  none  could  exist. 
The  idea  of  a  French  spy  in  Siberia  was 
an  absurdity  too  gross  to  be  formally  urged 
as  a  reason  for  his  arrest,  although  this  had 
been  given  -out  at  Irkutsk.  What  was  there 
in  Siberia,  either  for  a  Frenchman  or  a  native 
of  any  other  country,  to  spy  ?  Was  the  Em- 
press afraid,  that  the  French  were  plotting  a 
crusade  into  those  frozen  and  sterile  regions, 
to  rescue  her  miserable  exiles,  who  were  suf- 
fering there  the  penalties  of  their  crimes,  or 
the  effects  of  imperial  indignation  for  their 
projects  of  ambition  and  aggrandizement  in 
Petersburg  ?  It  was  not  likely  that  France,  or 
any  other  nation,  would  covet  the  control  of 
such  subjects,  or  t»f  such  a  Uuid.  This  pre- 
tence of  a  French  spy  originated  /i(  Irlnilsjt, 
where  it  was  convenient  that  some  false  l*^- 
port  should  l)o  circulated  resporting  iho  cmjBe 
of  his  arrest,  as  will  shortly  be  niu<|ia  IMWIllfPSl- 
Ledyard  again  writes, 

"I  am  now  twfi  hundred  and  tWtt/jfy  Mftf^h 
from  Moscow,  on  the  road  lit  \ht\f{ii(]  t'll^jlfr 
Heaven,  petticoats  appear,  and  the  g(lllll||erh<|8 
of  other  features.  Women  mv  fhf^  sitre  har- 
bingers of  an  alteraliof]  hi  inanne|-|i,  |||  ap- 
proaching   a  country  wJififG    their  hll)  (^ilce   is 


m 


lin 


hi: 


ft  I 


362 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHT. 


j|i;  lis 


w 


felt.  But  wampum,  or,  if  you  will,  beads,  tas- 
sels, rings,  fringes,  and  Eastern  gewgaws,  pre- 
vail as  much  here  as  in   Siberia. 

"  I  am  at  the  city  of  Neeshna,  in  a  vile, 
dark,  dirty,  gloomy,  damp  room ;  it  is  called 
quarters,  but  it  is  a  miserable  prison.  The 
soldiers  who  guard  me  are  doubly  watchful 
over  me  when  in  a  town,  though  at  no  time 
properly  so,  through  their  consummate  indo- 
lence and  ignorance.  Every  day  I  have  it  in 
my  power  to  escape  them ;  but,  though  treated 
like  a  felon,  I  will  not  appear  like  one  by 
flight.  I  was  very  ill  yesterday  ;  I  am  ema- 
ciated. It  is  more  than  twenty  days  since  1 
have  eat  anything  that  may  be  called  food, 
and  during  that  time  have  been  dragged  along, 
from  day  to  day,  in  some  wretched,  open  ki- 
bitka.  Thus  am  I  treated  in  all  respects  (ex- 
cept that  I  am  obliged  to  support  m  ^elf  with 
my  own  money)  like  a  convict,  and  presented 
by  my  snuff-box  of  a  sergeant  as  a  raree-show, 
at  every  town  through  which  we  pass. 

"  Were  I  charged,  or  chargeable,  with  any 
injury  done  or  thought  of,  either  to  this  or 
any  other  country,  it  might  not  make  me  con- 
tented, indeed,  yet,  I  suppose,  it  would  make 
me  resigned.  But  to  be  arrested  in  my  trav- 
els at  the  last  stage  but  one,  in  those  domin- 
ions where  the  severe  laws  of  the  climate  un- 


JOHN     LEDYARD, 


363 


Js,  tas- 
's,   pre- 

a  vile, 

called 
The 
^atchful 
10  time 
3  indo- 
ire  it  in 

treated 
one  by 
m  ema- 

since  1 
sd  food, 
d  along, 

pen  ki- 
ds (ex- 
elf  with 
iresented 
3e-show, 

rith  any 
this  or 
me  con- 
Id  make 
ny  trav- 
}  domin- 
nate  un- 


happily detained  mc,  which,  however,  I  should 
have  braved,  had  it  not  been  for  the  restrain- 
ing courtesy  of  the  Commandant  at  Yakutsk  ; 
to  be  seized,  imprisoned,  and  transported  in 
this  dark  and  silent  maimer,  without  cause,  or 
accusation,  except  what  appears  in  the  myste- 
rious wisdom  depicted  in  the  face  of  my  ser- 
geant, and  of  course  without  even  a  guess  as 
to  my  destination  ;  treated,  in  short,  like  a  sub- 
ject of — this  country;  under  such  circum- 
stances, resignation  would  be  a  crime  against 
my  dear  native  land." 

Here  the  Siberian  journal  abruptly  comes  to 
a  close,  and  little  is  known  of  what  befell  him 
on  his  way  to  England,  from  the  frontiers  of 
Poland.  In  a  letter  to  a  friend,  written  after 
his  arrival  in  London,,  he  touches  again  upon 
the  subject,  and  adds  a  few  particulars,  which 
may  with  pro,    iety  be  inserted. 

'•  I  had  penei  ated,"  he  says,  "  through  Eu- 
rope and  Asia,  almost  to  the  Pacific  Ocean, 
butj  in  the  midst  of  my  career,  was  arrested  a 
prisoner  to  th'  Empress  of  Russia,  by  an  ex- 
press sent  after  me  for  that  purpose.  I  passed 
under  a  guard  part  of  last  winter  and  spring ; 
was  banished  the  empire,  and  conveyed  to  the 
frontiers  of  Poland,  six  thousand  v^ersts  from 
the  place  where  I  was  arrested,  and  this  jour- 
ney   waf    performed    in    six  weeks.      Cruelties 


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ij" 


364 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


and  hardships  are  tales  I  leave  untold.  I  was 
disappointed  in  the  pursuit  of  an  object  on 
which  my  future  fortune  entirely  depended.  I 
know  not  how  I  passed  through  the  kingdoms 
of  Poland  and  Prussia,  or  from  thence  to  Lon- 
don, where  I  arrived  in  the  beginning  of  Mav-, 
disappointed,  ragged,  penniless  ;  and  yet  so  ac- 
customed am  I  to  snch  things,  that  1  declare 
my  heart  was  whole.  My  health,  for  the  first 
time,  had  suffered  from  my  confinement,  and 
the  amazing  rapidity  with  which  I  had  been 
carried  through  the  illimitable  \^ilds  of  Tar- 
tary  and  Russia.  But  my  liberty  regained,  and 
a  few  days'  rest  among  the  beautiful  daughters 
of  Israel  in  Poland,  reestablished  it,  and  I  am 
now  in  as  full  bloom  and  vigor,  as  thirty-seven 
years  will  afford  any  man.  Jarvis  says  I  look 
much  older  than  when  he  saw  me  three  sum- 
mers ago  at  Paris,  which  1  can  readily  believe. 
An  American  face  does  not  wear  well,  like  an 
American  heart." 

When  the  soldiers  who  were  his  .  guards 
had  arrived  with  him  in  Poland,  they  gave 
hifci  to  understand  that  he  might  go  where  he 
pleased,  but  i^  he  returned  again  to  the  do- 
minions of  the  Empress,  he  would  certainly 
be  hanged.  Having  no  longer  any  motive  for 
making  such  an  experiment,  he  took  the  short- 
est route    to  Konigsberg.      Here    he  was    in  a 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


365 


I  was 
Bct  on 
ded.  I 
igdoms 
;o  Lon- 
.f  Mav', 

so  ac- 
declare 
he  first 
nt,  and 
d  been 
)f  Tar- 
led,  and 
mghters 
d  I  am 
y-seven 

I  look 
ec  sum- 
believe. 

like  an 

guards 
;y  gave 
here  he 
the  do- 
ertainly 
»tive  for 
e  short- 
as    in  a 


destitute  situation,  without  friends  or  nieaus, 
his  hopes  blasted,  and  his  health  enfeebled.  In 
this  state  of  despondency  and  suffering,  he  be- 
thought himself  again  of  the  benevolence  of 
Sir  Joseph  Banks,  which  had  on  more  occa- 
sions than  one  administered  relief  to  him,  and 
served  as  a  balm  to  his  wounded  spirit.  He 
was  lucky  enough  to  dispose  of  a  draft  for  five 
guineas  on  his  old  benefactor,  and  by  this  ex- 
pedient was  enabled  to  pursue  his  journey  to 
London,  where  he  arrived  after  an  absence  of 
one  year  and  five  months,  and  where  he  was 
received  with  much  coirdiality  by  Sir  Joseph 
Banks  and  his  other  friends. 

It  remains  to  inquire  a  little  further  into  the 
reasons  which  induced  the  Empress  to  recall 
him  by  a  mandate  so  positive,  after  she  had 
given  him  a  royal  passport  for  proceeding  un- 
molested to  Kamtschatka.  Various  conjectures 
as  to  her  motives  have  existed,  but  the  tale 
of  the  French  spy  has  been  the  one  most  gen- 
erally received,  probably  because  it  was  credit- 
ed by  Sauer,  who  was  on  the  spot  at  the  time 
he  was  seized.  On  that  topic  enough  has 
been   said. 

The  avowed  pretence  of  the  Empress  has 
been  ascertained  from  the  authority  of  Count 
Segur,  who  was  then,  as  heretofore  stated,  am- 
bassador from  France   to   the  court  of  Peters- 


366 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHT. 


k:  ;»', 


'Mi 


w&l^' 


;k' 


I'M  I 
Ill 

ill; 


burg,  and  was  instrumental  in  procuring  Led- 
yard's  passport.  In  August,  1823,  he  wrote 
the  following  note  to  Lafayette,  in  reply  to  an 
inquiry  on  the  subject. 

"  I  have  no  longer  any  letters  in  my  posses- 
sion," says  Count  Segur,  "  relative  to  the  cel- 
ebrated traveller,  Mr.  Ledyard.  I  remember 
only,  that,  in  compliance  with  your  request,  I 
fu-rnished  him  with  the  best  recommendations 
at  the  court  of  Russia.  He  was  at  first  very 
well  received,  but  the  Empress,  who  spoke  to 
me  on  the  subject  herself,  observed  that  she 
would  not  render  herself  guilty  of  the  death 
of  this  coura^^eous  American,  by  furthering  a 
journey  so  fraught  with  danger,  as  that  he  pro- 
posed to  undertake  alone,  across  the  unknown 
and  savage  regions  of  Northwestern  America. 
She  consequently  issued  her  prohibition.  Pos- 
sibly this  pretext  of  humanity,  advanced  by 
Catharine,  only  disguised  her  unwillingness  to 
have  the  new  possessions  of  Russia,  on  the 
western  coast  of  America,  seen  by  an  enlight- 
ened citizen  of  the  United  States.  The  above, 
however,    were    the    reasons    she    advanced    to 


me. 


?) 


Few  will  doubt,  probably,  that  the  closing 
conjecture  of  Count  Segur  is  much  more  plau- 
sible than  the  alleged  humanity  of  the  Em- 
press.     It  is  clothing  this  virtue  in  the   royal 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


367 


g  Led- 
wrote 
Y  to  an 

posses- 
he  cel- 
nember 
[uest,  I 
idations 
St  very 
Doke  to 
lat  she 
;  death 
ering  a 
he  pro- 
iknown 
Lmerica. 
I.  Pos- 
iced  by 
;iiess  to 
on  the 
enlight- 
3  above, 
iced    to 

closing 
re  plau- 
le  Ern- 
ie  royal 


breast  with  an  air  a  little  too  romantic,  to 
suppose  that  she  was  prompted  by  such  a 
motive  to  send  an  express  four  thousand  miles, 
with  an  order  to  arrest  and  preserve  from  his 
own  temerity  and  self-devotedness  an  individ- 
ual, in  whose  personal  safety  she  could  not 
possibly  feel  any  other  interest,  than  what  the 
sovereign  of  all  the  Russias  would  naturally 
extend  to  the  whole  human  family.  And, 
moreover,  this  plea  of  humanity  sounds  strange- 
ly enough,  when  contrasted  with  the  barbarous 
manner  in  which  Ledyard  was  transported 
across  the  frightful  deserts  of  her  Imperial 
Majesty's  domains.  Such  evidences  of  tender- 
heartedness he  would  very  gladly  have  dis- 
pensed with,  and  taken  in  exchange  for  them 
any  treatment  he  might  receive  from  the  sav- 
ages of  Northwestern  America,  'i'his  pretence 
of  humanity,  therefore,  has  lio  better  founda- 
tion than   the  story  of  the  French  spy. 

Another  explanation  is  aflbrded  in  Dr.  Clarke's 
Travels  in  Russia,  who  had  the  account  from 
Professor  Pallas  himself.  After  relating  an  an- 
ecdote, respecting  the  manner  in  which  Bil- 
lings obtained  his  appointment,  Dr.  Clarke 
adds  ; 

"That  the  expedition  might  have  been  con- 
fided to  better  hands,  the  public  have  been 
since  informed  by  the  Secretary  Sauer.     This, 


'Mil 

}m 

m 


368 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHT. 


SH  I? 


tmy^ 


s: 


Mu% 


Professor  Pallas  lamented  to  have  discovered, 
when  it  was  too  late.  But  the  less  sustained 
by  any  incapacity  in  the  persons  employed  to 
conduct  that  expedition,  is  not  equal  to  that 
which  the  public  suffered  by  the  sudden  recall 
of  the  unfortunate  Ledyard.  This,  it  is  said, 
would  never  have  happened,  but  through  the 
jealousy  of  his  own  countrymen,  whom  he 
chanced  to  encounter  as  he  was  upon  the 
point  of  quitting  the  eastern  continent  for 
America,  and  who  caused  the  information  to 
be  sent  to  Petersburg,  which  occasioned  the 
order  for  his  arrest."*    , 

This  account  of  the  affair  labors  under  one 
serious  difficulty,  which  is,  that  Ledyard  did 
not  meet  a  single  countryman  of  his  own  in 
Siberia.  It  could  only  be  by  a  vague  rumor, 
originally  intended  to  deceive,  that  Professor 
Pallas  was  led  into  such  a  mistake.  As  Bil- 
lings and  Sauer  were  Englishmen,  and  spoke 
the  same  language  as  Ledyard,  these  persons 
may  have  been  alluded  to  ;  yet  no  proof  exists 
of  their  hostility  to  him,  -or  that  they  could 
have  any  reasons  for  thwarting  his  designs. 

Since  all  these  explanations  of  the  mattei 
are  fallacious,  we  must  look  for  other  causes  j 
and    these,  in    my    opinion,   have    been    partly 


*  Clarke's  Travels  in  Russia,  Ch.  II. 


JOHN     lEDYARD. 


369 


partly 


anticipated  in  the  remarks  already  made  an  the 
conduct  of  the  Commandant  at  Yakutsk.  From 
all  the  circumstances,  which  have  come  to  my 
lincwledge  in  the  course  of  this  investigation, 
i  am  convinced  that  a  plan  was  concerted  at 
Irkutsk  to  send  him  back,  very  soon  after  his 
arrival  in  that  place.  Irkutsk  was  the  resi- 
dence of  the  Governor-General  of  all  .the  east- 
ern parts  of  Siberia,  and  of  the  principal  per- 
sons engaged  in  the  fur  -trade  at  the  Aleutian 
Islands.  Two  years  before  this  period,  the 
Russian  American  Company  had  been  formed, 
for  the  express  purpose  of  establishing  a  regu- 
lar commercial  intercourse  with  the  natives  of' 
the  islands,  and  of  the  American  coast.  Oper- 
ations were  already  commenced  by  occupying 
new  posts,  erecting  factories,  building  fortifica- 
tions to  protect  them,  and  making  other  need- 
ful provisions  to  secure  a  complete  monopoly 
of  the  trade. 

Now,  the  head-quarters  of  this  company  were 
at  Irkutsk,  and  it  could  not  have  escaped  the 
sagacity  of  its  conductors,  that  a  foreigner,  vis- 
iting their  stations  at  the  islands,  would  make 
discoveries,  which  might  be  published  to  theic 
disadvantage,  both  in  regard  to  the  resources 
of  traflSc,  and  to  the  cruel  manner  in  which 
the  fraders  habitually  treated  the  natives,  in 
extorting  from  them  the  fruits  of  their  severe 
VOL.  XIV.  24 


m 


"'*im\ 


III 

"ill  I'; 


1' 


m 


370 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


and  incessant  labors.  To  obviate  such  a  con- 
sequence, it  was  necessary  to  cut  short  the 
traveller's  career,  before  he  had  penetrated  to 
the  eastern  shores  of  Asia.  In  effecting  this 
point,  some  management  was  necessary,  as  he 
had  a  passport  from  the^  Empress,  with  a  pos- 
itive order  to  the  Governor-General  to  aid  him 
on  his  way.  This  order  could  not  be  coun- 
termanded, nor  the  passport  of  the  Empress 
treated  with  disrespect,  till  intelligence  could 
be  sent  to  Petersburg,  and  influence  there  used 
with  the  Empress  to  procure  the  annulment 
of  her  grant  of  protection,  and  Led  yard's  im- 
mediate recall.  Time  was  requisite  to  bring 
this  scheme  to  an  issue,  and  the  first  thing  to 
be  done,  in  the  train  of  manoeuvres,  was  to 
throw  obstacles  in  his  path,  and  retard  his 
progress.  This  was  begun  in  good  earnest  at 
Irkutsk,  where  he  was  detained  several  days 
longer  than  he  desired,  waiting,  as  he  was  told, 
for  the  post. 

The  manner  in  which  he  was  received  by 
the  Commandant  of  Yakutsk  has  already  been 
stated.  The  extraordinary  concern  which  the 
Commandant  professed  to  feel  for  his  welfare, 
the  arguments  he  used  to  dissuade  him  from 
going  to  Okotsk  at  that  inclement  season,  and 
his  returning  Jacobi's  letter  open,  are  all'  rea- 
sons for  strong  suspicions.      And  these  reasons 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


371 


are  confirmed,  when  it  is  known  that  the 
journey  to  Okotsk  was  frequently  undertaken 
in  the  winter.  More  than  a  month  after  Led- 
yard  arrived  in  Yakutsk,  Captain  Billings  re- 
turned from  the  Kolyma,  which  was  at  least 
quite  as  difficult  a  'journey  ;  and  the  next  year, 
Billings  passed  from  Okotsk  to  Yakutsk  in 
October  and  November,  precisely  the  same 
months  in  which  Ledyard  wished  to  perform 
the  tour.  These  facts  are  enough  to  prove, 
that  the  Commandant's  pretended  concern  for 
his  health  and  comfort  was  only  a  cloak  to 
cover  other  designs,  and  to  render  it  more  than 
probable  that  he  had  secret  instructions  to 
cause  this  delay.  This  point  was  gained,  and 
the  plot  further  matured  by  inducing  him  to 
go  back  to  Irkutsk  with  Billings. 

Six  months  elapsed  betv/een  the  date  of  his 
first  leaving  Irkutsk,  on  his  voyage  down  the 
Lena,  and  that  of  his  arrest.  This  afforded 
ample  time  to  send  to  Petersburg,  and  receive 
returns,  even  through  the  common  channel  of 
the  post,  or  mail,  which  then  passed  with  tol- 
erable regularity  and  expedition  from  the  Rus" 
sian  capital  to  Irkutsk. 

Thus  were  all  our  traveller's  hopes  blasted, 
and  all  his  noble  designs  for  making  new  dis- 
coveries and  benefiting  mankind  frustrated,  by 
the  jealousy  and  pitiful  intrigues  of  a  few  fur 


Hi 


mm 

m 


m 


u 


t 


I? 


if  s 


tl    It};; 

m 

I  il 
pi  I 

I'  •>'  -i  J.  I 
r  I" '  f; 

im 

■■IP  I 

I  ''if  ^A  gi 


372 


AMERICAN     BIOUIIAPIIV. 


dealers  at  Irkutsk.  The  Empress  was  duped 
by  their  representations,  and  she  deserted,  on 
this  occasion,  the  judicious  policy  by  which 
she  was  usually  guided,  in  whatever  pertained 
to  the  advancement  of  science  or  the  encour- 
agement of  enterprise.  Well  might  Lafayette 
say,  as  he  did,  that  "  her  conduct  in  this  in- 
stance was  very  illiberal  and  narrow  minded, 
and  that  her  measures  were  particularly  ungen- 
erous." The  conclusion  to  which  1  have  thus 
been  led,  in  explaining  an  apparent  enigma  in 
Ledyard's  Siberian  adventures,  is  mainly  found- 
ed, it  is  true,  on  circumstantial  evidence  ;  but 
this  evidence  is  so  strong,  that  I  know  not 
how  it  can  be  resisted. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

■ 

Interview  with  Sir  Joseph  Banks  in  London.  — 
Engages  to  travel  in  Africa  undt  the  Am- 
pices  of  the  African  Association.  —  Remark- 
able Instance  of  Decision  of  Character.  —  Let' 
ter  to  his  Mother.  —  Visits  Mr.  Jefferson  and 
Lafayette  in  Paris.  —  Sails  from  Marseilles  to 
Alexandria  in  Egypt.  —  Arrives    in   Cairo. 

No  sooner  had  he    arrived  in   London,  than 
he  called  on  his  worthy  patron  and  friend,  Sir 


JOHN     F.  K  n  Y  A  II  D  . 


373 


Joseph  Banks,  to  express  his  gratitude  for  the' 
many  substantial  favors  received  from  him. 
Sir  Joseph,  after  questioning  him  with  a  lively- 
interest  concerning  his  travels,  and  expressing 
sympathy  for  his  past  misfortunes,  inipiirod 
what  were  his  future  intentions.  Ledyard 
frankly  confessed  that  he  had  nothing  in  pros- 
jiect ;  that,  after  having  struggled  against  a  tide 
of  difficulties  to  accomplish  an  object  which 
he  had  much  at  heart,  but  in  pursuing  which 
he  had  been  baffled  in  every  attempt,  he  felt 
himself,  at  this  moment,  in  a  state  of  perfect 
luicertainty  as  to  the  step  next  to  be  taken  ; 
time  and  circumstances  would  decide  his  for- 
tune. What  followed  will  be  best  related  in 
the  language  of  Mr.  Beaufoy,  then  secretary  of 
the  African  Association. 

"Sir  Jose^/Ii  Banks,  who  knew  his  temper, 
told  him  that  he  believed  he  could  recommend 
him  to  an  adventure  almost  as  perilous  as  the 
one  from  which  he  had  returned ;  and  then 
communicated  to  him  the  wishes  of  the  Asso- 
ciation for  discovering  the  inland  comitries  of 
Africa.  Ledyard  replied,  that  he  had  always 
determined  to  traverse  the  continent  of  Africa 
as  soon  as  he  had  explored  the  interior  of 
North  America ;  and  as  Sir  Joseph  had  offered 
him  a  letter  of  introduction,  he  came  directly 
to  the  writer  of  these  Memoirs.     Before  I  had 


ft 


M 


It 


.■.v;,f,[ 

M 


374 


AiMCRlCAN     UlOGIlAPlir. 


learned  from  tlie  note  the  name  and  business 
of  my  visitor,  I  was  struck  with  the  manliness 
of  his  person,  the  breadth  of  his  chest,  the 
openness  of  his  countenance,  and  the  inqui- 
etude of  his  eye.  I  spread  the  map  of  Africa 
before  him,  and  tracing  a  line  from  Cairo  to 
Seiniaar,  and  from  thence  westward  in  the  lat- 
itude and  supposed  direction  of  the  Niger,  I 
told  him,  that  was  the  route,  by  which  I  was 
anxious  that  Africa  might,  if  possible,  be  ex- 
j)lored.  He  said,  he  should  think  himself  sin- 
gularly fortunate  to  be  trusted  with  the  adven- 
ture. I  asked  him  when  he  would  set  out. 
'  To-morrow  morning,'  was  his  answer.  I  told 
him  1  was  afraid  that  we  should  not  be  able, 
in  so  .short  a  time,  to  prepare  his  instructions, 
and  to  procure  for  him  the  letters  that  were 
requisite ;  but  that  if  the  committee  should 
approve  of  his  proposal,  all  expedition  should 
be  used."* 

This  interview  affords  one  of  the  most  ex- 
traordinary instances  of  decision  of  character, 
which  is  to  be  found  on  record.  When  we 
consider  his  recent  bitter  experience  of  the 
past,  his  labors  and  sufferings,  which  had  been 
so  intense  and  so  long  continued,  that  a  pain- 
ful reality  had  more  than  checked  the  excesses 

' —  —    ■  ■  ■     -  — " 

*  Proceedings  of  the  African  Association,  Vol  I.  p.  18. 


m 


JOHN     L  C  I>  Y  A  11  D 


375 


of  romantic  entlnisiasm,  which  miglit  be  kin- 
dled in  a  less  disciplined  imagination  ;  and 
when  we  witness  the  promptitnde,  with  which 
he  is  ready  to  encounter  new  perils  in  the 
heart  of  Africa,  where  hardships  of  the  severest 
kind  must  inevitably  be  endured,  and  where 
death  would  stare  him  in  the  face  at  every 
stage,  we  cannot  but  admire  the  si  periority 
of  mind  over  the  accidents  of  human  l.fe,  the 
rapidity  of  combination,  quickness  of  d(!cision, 
and  fearlessness  of  consequences,  which  Led- 
yard's  reply  indicates.  It  was  the  spontaneous 
triumph  of  an  elevated  spirit  over  the  whole 
catalogue  of  selfish  considerations,  wavering 
motives,  and  half  subduod  doubts,  .vhich  would 
have  contended  for  days  in  tht  breast  of  most 
men,  before  they  would  have  adopted  a  firm 
resolution  to  jeopard  their  lives  in  an  under- 
taking so  manifestly  beset  with  dangers,  and 
which,  in  its  best  aspect,  threatened  to  be  a 
scene  of  toils,  privations,  and  endurance. 

It  is  needless  to  say,  that  the  committee  of 
the  Association  immediately  closed  an  agree- 
ment with  a  man,  who  presented  himself  with 
such  a  temper,  and  with  numerous  other  qual- 
ities, which  fitted  him  in  a  peculiar  manner 
for  their  service.  Preparations  for  his  depart- 
ure were  commenced  without  delay. 

While   these   movements  were  going  on,  he 


'■•'in, 

ttH 


f''J  ~  'II 
f 


N 


n 


i-if 


.re 


AMFIICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


wrote  a  long  letter  to  Dr.  Ledyard.  It  was 
composed  at  different  times,  and  is  without 
date.  A  few  extracts  from  it  will  give  an  in- 
sight into  his  pursuits,  and  exhibit  some  traits 
of  his  character  in  a  favorable  light. 

"  I  was  last  evening  in  company  with  Mr. 
Jarvis  of  New  York,  whom  I  accidentally  met 
in  the  city,  and  invited  to  my  lodgings.  When 
I  was  in  Paris  in  distress,  he  behaved  very 
generonsly  to  me ;  and,  as  I  do  not  want  money 
at  present,  I  [  xd  a  double  satisfaction  in  our 
meeting,  being  equally  happy  to  see  him,  and 
to  pay  him  one  hundred  livres,  which  I  never 
expected  to  be  able  to  do,  and  I  suppose  he 
did  not  think  I  should.  If  he  goes  to  New 
York  as  soon  as  he  mentioned,  I  shall  trouble 
him  with  this  letter  to  you,  and  with  some 
others  to  your  address  for  my  otiic"  friends. 

"  I  wrote  you  last  from  this  place,  nearly 
two>  years  ago,  but  I  suppose  you  heard  from 
me  at  Petersburg,  by  Mr.  Franklin  of  New 
York.  1  promised*  to  write  you  from  the  re- 
mote parts  of  Siberia.  I  promise  everything 
to  those  I  love ;  and  so  does  Fortune  to  me 
sometimes,  but  we  reciprocally  prevent  each 
other  from  fulfilling  our  engagements.  She 
left  me  so  poor  in  Siberia,  that  I  could  not 
write  you,  because  I  could  not  frank  the  let- 
ter.    You  are  already  acquainted  with  the  in- 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


377 


tent  of  the  voyage,  which  1  have  been  two 
years  engaged  in.  The  history  of  it  I  cannot 
give  you,  nor  indeed  the  world.  Parts  of  it 
you  would  comprehend,  approve,  and,  I  believe, 
admire  ;  parfs  are  incomprehensible,  because  not 
to  be  described.  I  have  seen  and  suffered  a 
great  deal,  but  I  now  have  my  health  and 
spirits  in  perfection. 

"  By  my  acquaintances  in  London  my  arrival 
was  announced  to  a  society  of  noblemen  and 
gentlemen,  who  had  for  some  time  been  fruit- 
lessly inquiring  for  some  person  to  travel 
through  the  continent  of  Africa.  I  was  asked, 
and  consented  to  undertake  the  tour.  The 
society  have  appropriated  a  sum  of  money  to 
defray  the  expenses.  I  dine  with  them  col- 
lectively this  day  week,  finish  the  affair,  and 
within  the  month  shall  be  on  the  move.  My 
route  will  be  from  here  to  Paris,  thence  to 
Marseilles,  across  the  Mediterranean  to  Alexan- 
dria in  Egypt,  and  then  to  Grand  Cairo.  Be- 
yond is  unknown,  and  my  discoveries  beghi. 
Where  they  will  terminate,  and  how,  you  -shall 
kncnv,  if  I  survive.  As  we  have  now  no  min- 
ister from  the  United  States  in  London,  and 
as  1  know  of  no  certain  medium  of  convey- 
ance,  1  cannot  certainly  promise  you  letters 
from  Africa.  I  can  only  say,  that  I  will  vvritjj 
you  from  Grand  Cairo,  if  1  can  find  an  oppor- 
tunity. 


I  '■'■■  ht\ 

m 

.  '  '■■■I.. 


I 


m 


N 


;;-t^ 


m 


Ml 


J^i.*:^ 


m 


h  m 


378 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


"  Before  I  leave  town,  I  intend  to  send  you 
some  Tartar  curiosities,  and,  if  possible,  also,  a 
transcript  of  the  few  rude  remarks  I  made  on 
my  last  tour.  The  hints  I  have  given  respect- 
ing the  history  of  man,  from  circumstances  and 
facts  that  have  come  within  my  personal 
knowledge,  you  will  find  new  and  interesting. 
They  form  data  for  investigation,  but  they  are 
better  in  my  hands'  than  in  any  others,  be- 
cause HO  other  person  has  seen  so  much  of 
Asia  and  America.  They  might  amuse  you  in 
the  happy  retirement,  which  Mr.  Jarvis  tells 
me  you  enjoy  on  Long  Island.  My  seeing 
this  gentleman  has  been  almost  as  good  as  a 
visit  to  New  York.  Nothing  in  his  account 
of  our  family  and  friends  has  affected  me  so 
much,  as  the  mercantile  misfortunes  of  your 
worthy  brother.  Surely  the  race  is  not  to  the 
swift,  nor  the  battle  to  the  strong.  Did  the 
pyramids  of  Egypt,  which  I  shall  soon  see, 
cover  hearts  as  worthy  as  his,  I  should  no 
more  style  them  monuments  of  human  imbe- 
cility ;  I  should   worship  before  them. 

"  Mr.  Jarvis  has  not  been  able  to  give  me 
an  exact  account  of  his  situation.  He  only 
tells  me,  that  he  has  failed  in  business  and 
retired  to  Jersey,  where  I  think  he  ought  to 
stay,  for  the  world  is  absolutely  unworthy  of 
him.      I  do  not    say   this,   because    he    is   my 


SSfl 


JOHN     LEDYARO. 


379 


cousin,  and  shared  with  you  the  earliest  at- 
tachment of  my  heart.  These  are  things  that 
I  feel,  and  that  the  world  has  nothing  to  do 
with,  any  more  than  it  ought  to  have  with 
him.  They  are  compliments  which  his  ene- 
mies would  make  him,  if  he  had  any.  1  never 
knew  so  much  merit  so  unfortunate.  I  cannot 
reflect  on  his  fate  unimpassioned.  He  should 
retire  ;  if  barely  comfortable,  it  will  be  enough, 
for  he  cannot  go  from  dignity.  My  heart  is 
on  your  side  of  the  Atlantic.  I  know  the 
charms  on  Long  Island,  the  additional  ones  of 
your  residence  there,  and  the  sweet  accordance 
of  recubans  sub  tegmine  fagi.  Do  not  think, 
because  I  have  seen  much  of  the  world,  and 
must  see  more,  that  1  have  forgotten  America. 
I  could  as  soon  forget  you,  myself,  my  God. 

"  My  travels  have  brought  upon  me  a  nu- 
merous correspondence,  which,  added  to  the 
employments  of  my  new  enterprise,  leaves  me 
little  leisure.  I  am  alone  in  everything,  and 
in  most  things  so,  because  nobody  has  been 
accustomed  to  think  and  act  in  travelling  mat- 
ters as  1  do.  I  am  sorry  Mr.  Jarvis  will  go 
so  soon.  To-day  is  Saturday,  and  he  will  call 
on  Tuesday,  to  receive  the  things  for  you, 
and  take  leave  of  me.  My  time  is  wholly 
occupied,  and  it  happens  that  just  at  this  mo- 
ment I  am  the  busiest  with  the  African  So- 
ciety. 


I 


it£1 


wi 

i'    "UliTi 

' ''   L'' -1 

if.  Flliii 

!  ii.  'MiS 

,'.|J'**J 
*0. 


M'\ 


,ti". 


380 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


^/ 


,^^^ 


"  Among  other  things,  I  wish  to  send  you 
a  copy  of  my  Swedish  portrait  at  Somerset 
House.  I  have  one  by  me,  but  it  is  a  stupid 
thing.  It  was  taken  by  a  boy,  wiio  is  as  dumb 
and  deaf  as  the  portrait  itself.  He  is,  however, 
under  the  patronage  of  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds, 
the  English  Raphael.  The  boy  was  sent  to 
me  by  a  country  squire,  who  ?»ccidentally  got 
acquainted  with  me  at  an  inn  where  I  lodged 
in  London,  and  who  has  taken  a  wonderful 
fancy  to  me,  and  begs  to  hang  me  up  in  his 
hall.  This  one  is  still  unfinished,  and  so  is 
the  one  for  the  squire.  They  are  mere  daub- 
ings.  Jarvis  says  our  Trumbull  is  clever,  and 
advises  me  to  get  him  to  copy  the  Swedish 
drawing,  which  is  not  only  a  perfect  likeness, 
but  a  good  painting.  If  I  do  according  to  his 
advice,  it  cannot  be  soon  ;  and,  indeed,  I  should 
not  trouble  you,  or  myself,  about  this  shadow 
of  your  friend,  were  I  sure  of  presenting  him 
to  you  hereafter  in  substance.*  I  shall  not 
have  time  to  settle  my  affairs  before  Jarvis 
goes,  if  it  is  to-morrow,  for  to-morrow  I  must 


be  with  the  African  committee. 

"  Jarvis  is  this  moment  going.     Adieu, 
will  not  take  the  one  hundred  livres." 


He 


*  Neither  the  portrait  nor  a  copy  was  sent  The  ori- 
ginal was  taken  to  Sweden  by  the  artist,  where  it  has 
been  lost 


JOHN     I.EDYARD, 


3S1 


He 


on- 
haa 


It  may  be  well  to  add  here,  rather  as  a  mat- 
ter of  curiosity,  than  for  any  other  purpose,  his 
description  of  the  Siberian  articles  of  clothing, 
which  he  sent  to  Dr.  Ledyard  by  Mr.  Jarvis. 
He  was  now  going  to  a  climate  where  he 
would  have  no  occasion  for  a  dress  suited  to 
the  winters  of  Siberia. 

"  The  dresses  I  send  you,"  he  writes,  "  are 
such  as  I  have  worn  through  many  a  scene, 
and  was  glad  to  get  them.  The  surtout  coat 
is  made  of  reindeer  skin,  and  edged  with  the 
dewlap  of  the  moose.  Perhaps  you  will  wear 
this  yourself  in  winter.  It  was  made  for  a 
riding  coat,  and  I  have  rode  both  horses  and 
deer  with  it.  The  first  cap  is  of  the  Siberian 
red  fox ;  it  is  a  travelling  cap,  and  the  form 
is  entirely  Tartar.  The  second  cap  is  Russian, 
consisting  of  white  ermine,  and  bordered  with 
blue  fox  skin ;  it  cost  me  at  Yakutsk  twenty- 
five  roubles,  which  is  four  guineas  and  one 
rouble.  The  surtout  coat  cost  seventy  roubles ; 
the  fox-skin  cap  six  roubles.  The  gloves  are 
made  of  the  feet  of  the  fox,  and  lined  with 
the  Tartar  hare,  and  cost  five  roubles.  The 
frock  is  in  form  and  style  truly  Tartar.  It 
was  presented  to  me,  and  came  from  the  bor- 
ders of  the  Frozen  Ocean,  at  the  mouth  of 
the  River  Kolyma.  It  is  made  of  a  spotted 
reindeer  calf;    the  edging   is  the  same  as   that 


H 


1  ":  «M' 

■f-m 


III 


yM 


f 


Hi' 


4ii 


382 


AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHT. 


on  the  surtout.  You  will  see,  on  the  inside 
of  the  skin,  a  number  of  spots ;  these  were 
occasioned  by  a  small  insect  bred  there  from 
the  eggs  of  a  species  of  fly,  which,  together 
with  the  vast  numbers  of  mosquitoes,  obliges 
this  charming  animal  to  migrate  annually  north 
and  .south,  as  the  seasons  change. 

"  The  boots  are  made  also  of  reindeer  skin, 
and  ornamented  with  European  cloth  ;  the 
form  is  Tartar ;  they  cost  eight  roubles.  The 
socks  for  the  boots  are  made  of  the  skin  of 
an  old  reindeer.  They  are  worn  on  the  inside 
of  the  boots,  with  the  hair  to  the  feet,  with 
or  without  stockings.  These  were  presented 
to  me,  and  came  from  the  borders  of  the 
Frozen  Ocean.  The  cloak  which  they  are 
wrapped  up  in  was  made  in  London.  I  trav- 
elled on  foot  with  it  in  Denmark,  Sweden, 
Lapland,  Finland,  and  the  Lord  knows  where. 
I  have  slept  in  it,  eat  in  it,  drank  in  it,  fought 
in  it,  negotiated  in  it.  Through  every  scene 
it  has  been  my  constant  and  hardy  servant, 
from  my  departure  till  my  return  to  London. 
And  now,  to  give  it  an  asylum,  (for  I  have 
none,)  I  send  it  to  you.  Lay  it  up;  as  soon 
as  I  can,  I  will  call  and  lay  myself  up  with 
it.  I  have  mentioned  the  prices  of  the  above 
articles,  to  give  you  a  notion  how  dear  fur 
dresses  are,  even    in  the  remotest  parts  of  the 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


383 


vast  dominions  of  Russia.  These  clothes  were 
not  ali  that  I  wore  last  winter ;  I  wore  many 
others,  and  froze  my  nose  and  ears  after  all. 
•Yon  have  no  idea  of  the  excessive  cold  in 
those  regions." 

The  Society  in  whose  service  Ledyard  was 
now  engaged  had  its  origin  with  a  few  indi- 
viduals in  London,  but  the  number  of  its  mem- 
bers soon  increased  to  about  two  hundred, 
among  whom  were  some  of  the  most  eminent 
men  in  the  kingdom.  Their  immediate  ob- 
ject was  to  promote  discoveries  in  the  interior 
of  Africa,  and  a  fund  was  raised  by  a  subscrip- 
tion from  each  member,  for  the  purpose  of 
efiecting  that  object.  The  Society  was  de- 
nominated the  "  African  Association,"  and  was 
patronized  by  the  King.  A  committee  was  to 
be  annually  chosen  by  ballot,  whose  duty  it 
was  to  transact  the  affairs  of  the  Society,  by 
taking  charge  of  the  funds,  employing  persons 
to  travel,  collecting  intelligence,  and  keeping 
up  a  correspondence  with  various  parts  of 
Africa. 

The  first  committee  appointed,  and  that  witlu 
which  Ledyard  made  his  arrangements,  con- 
sisted of  Lord  Rawdon,  the  Bishop  of  Landaff, 
Sir  Joseph  Banks,  Mr.  Beaufoy,  and  Mr.  Sten- 
art.  Among  the  other  members,  who  joined 
the    Society   at    the    beginning,  were   Mr.  Ad- 


if 


I 

ft 

f  j  ut 


m 

'■fl  Whi 


m 


\M 


384 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


dington,  the  Earl  of  Bute,  General  Conwaj'. 
the  Duke  of  Grafton,  Edward  Gibbon,  John 
Hunter,  Dr.  Lettsom,  the  Earl  of  Moira,  the 
Duke  of  Northumberland,  Lord  Sheffield,  Ben- 
jamin Vaughan,  and  Mr.  Wilberforce.  An  in- 
stitution, supported  by  names  of  such  weight 
and  respectabih'ty,  would  naturally  attract  pub- 
lic attention,  and  insure  all  the  success  of 
which  the  nature  of  its  designs  was  suscep 
tib.3. 

For  many  ages  the  continent  of  Africa  had 
been  a  neglected  portion  of  the  globe,  of  which 
the  rest  of  the  world  had  taken  little  account. 
The  learning,  and  splendor,  and  prowess  of 
Egypt  were  departed;  Carthage,  with  all  its 
glory,  had  sunk  into  the  dust ;  the  j^roud  mon- 
uments of  Numidian  greatness  had  been  blotted 
from  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  almost  from 
the  memory  of  man.  The  gloom  of  this  scene 
was  heightened,  not  more  by  the  ravages  of 
time  in  destroying  what  had  been,  than  by  the 
contrasts  which  succeeding  changes  had  pro- 
duced. A  semibarbarous  population,  gathered 
from  the  wrecks  of  fallen  nations,  enemies  to 
the  arts  and  to  the  best  social  interests  of 
man,  had  gradually  spread  themselves  over  the 
whole  northern  borders  of  Africa,  and  presented 
a  barrier  to  the  hazards  of  enterprise,  no  less 
than  to  the  inroads  of  civilization.      Whatever 


JOHN     LLDYAIID. 


385 


iui,^!il  be  tlic  ardor  for  discovery  and  the  dis- 
regard of  danger,  nobody  cared  to  penetrate 
into  these  regions,  where  all  was  uncertainty, 
and  whore  the  chance  of  success  bore  no  pro- 
portion to  the  perils  that  must  be  encountered. 
There  is  no  question,  that  the  northern  half 
of  Africa  was  better  known  to  the  Romans 
at  the  time  of  Julius  Caesar,  than  to  the  Eu- 
ropeans in  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury, A  few  scattered  names  of  rivers,  towns, 
and  nations,  occupied  the  map  of  the  interior, 
traced  there  by  a  hesitating  hand,  on  the  dubi- 
ous authority  of  the  Nubian  geographer  Edris- 
si,  and  the  Spanish  traveller  Leo  Africanus. 
The  rhymes  of  Swift  on  this  subject  were  not 
more  witty  than  true. 

"  Geographers,  in  Afric  maps, 
With  savage  pictures  fill  their  gaps, 
And  o'er  unhabitable  downs 
Place  elephants,  for  want  of  towns." 

At  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century,  Leo 
penetrated  as  far  as  Timbuctoo  and  the  Niger ; 
but  so  imperfect  were  his  descriptions  even  of 
what  he  saw,  that  very  little  geographical 
knowledge  was  communicated  by  them.  He 
was  on  the  banks. of  the  Niger;  but  it  could 
not  be  ascertained  from .  his  account,  whether 
this  river  ran  to  the  east  or  west,  nor,  indeed, 
whether  it  existed  as  a  separate  stream. 

VOL.    XIV.  25 


I 


If 


m 

tw 


■'•'■•■  jK.  !l 


iif 

y 


illi'i, 

I 

h 


386 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


M 


In  short,  down  to  the  time  when  the  Afri- 
can Association  was  formed,  almost  the  whole 
of  this  vast  continent,  its  geography  and  phys- 
ical resources,  its  inhabitants,  governments,  lan- 
guages, were  a  desideratum  in  the  history  of 
nature  and  of  man.  It  could  not  be  doubted, 
that  many  millions  of  human  beings  inhabited 
these  hidden  regions.  Nor  were  the  character 
and  condition  of  these  people,  their  institutions 
and  social  advancement,  mere  matters  of  curi- 
osity ;  they  had  a  relation  to  the  people  of 
other  parts  of  the  globe,  and,  when  discovered 
and  understood,  might  be  turned  to  the  com- 
mon advantage  of  the  great  human  family. 
There  are  no  nations  that  may  not  profit  by 
an  intercourse  between  each  other,  either  by 
an  exchange  of  products  peculiar  to  each,  or 
by  a  reciprocal   moral  influence,  or  by  both. 

On  these  broad  and  benevolent  principles 
the  Society  for  promoting  discoveries  in  Africa 
was  instituted,  and  the  scheme  was  worthy  of 
the  enlightened  philanthropists  by  Avhom  it  was 
devised.  Ledyard's  instructions  were  few,  sim- 
ple, and  direct.  He  was  to  repair  first  to 
Egypt,  travel  thence  across  the  continent, 
make  such  observations  as  he  could,  and  report 
the  results  to  the  Association.  Everything  was 
left  to  his  discretion.  His  past  experience,  the 
extraordinary  energy  of  his  character,  his  disin- 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


387 


terestedness,  and  the  enthusiasm  with  which 
he  engaged  in  tlie  present  undertaking,  were 
all  sncli  as  to  insure  the  confidence  of  his 
employers,  and  inspire  them  v/ith  sanguine 
hopes. 

As  for  himself,  at  no  period  of  his  life  had 
he  reflected  with  so  much  satisfaction  on  his 
condition  or  his  prospects.  Heretofore  he  had 
always  been  alone,  oppressed  with  poverty,  and 
contending  with  an  adverse  fate.  But  now  he 
was  free  from  want,  patronized  by  the  first 
men  in  Great  Britain,  and  engaged  at  their 
solicitation,  and  under  their  auspices,  in  an  en- 
terprise, fraught,  it  is  true,  with  many  dangers, 
but  promising  the  glory  of  which  he  had  ever 
been  ambitious,  and  opening  to  him  a  field  of 
adventure,  which  his  imagination  had  pictured 
to  him  as  the  first  to  be  chosen,  after  he  had 
discharged  what  he  deemed  a  paramount  duty, 
in  exploring  the  unknown  parts  of  the  conti- 
nent to  which  he  owed  his  birth.  When  he 
was  departing  from  London  for  Egypt,  he 
may  be  said  to  have  been,  for  the  first  time 
in  his  life,  at  the  summit  of  his  wishes.  All 
previous  cares,  defeats,  and  disasters  appear  4o 
have  been  forgotten,  or  swallowed  up  in  the 
deep  interests  of  the  present,  and  the  cherished 
anticipations  of  the  future.  A  letter  written 
to  his  mother  at  this  time  indicates  the  tone 
of  his  spirits. 


fll 


I. .  j,^'  i 


uc 


"■■ft-;-;, 

■If  'Wii' 


m 


H 

M 

III 


m 


i 


388 


AMERICAN     BIOORAPHT. 


lit  1^ 

m 

m 


Jill 

It 


M 


III 


mm 


"  Truly  is  it  written,  that  the  ways  of  God 
are  past  finding  out,  and  his  decrees  unsearch- 
able. Is  the  Lord  thus  great?  So  also  is  he 
good.  I  am  an  instance  of  it.  I  have  tram- 
pled the  world  under  my  feet,  laughed  at  fear, 
and  derided  danger.  Through  millions  of 
fierce  savages,  over  parching  deserts,  the  freez- 
ing north,  the  everlasting  ice,  and  stormy  seas, 
have  I  passed  without  harm.  How  good  is 
?iiy  God !  What  rich  subjects  have  1  for  praise, 
love,  and  adoration  ! 

"  I  am  but  just  returned  to  England  from 
my  travels  of  two  years,  and  am  going  away 
into  Africa  to  examme  that  continent.  I  ex- 
pect to  be  absent  three  years.  1  shall  be  in 
Egypt  as  soon  as  I  can  get  there,  and  after 
that  go  into  unknown  parts.  I  have  full  and 
perfect  health.  Remember  me  to  my  brothers 
and  sisters.  Desire  them  to  remember  me, 
for,  if  Heaven  permits,  I  shall  see  them  again. 
I  pray  God  to  bless  and  comfort  you  all. 
Farewell." 

At  length  the  preparations  for  his  departure 
were  completed.  He  had  become  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  views  of  the  committee  ; 
and  a  sufficient  amount  of  money  had  been 
raised,  by  the  subscriptions,  to  provide  for  the 
expenses  of  his  journey  to  Egypt,  and  to  pur- 
chase   such    articles  of  merchandise   as   might 


JOHN     LEOYAKD. 


389 


be  found  necessary  to  enable  him  to  assume 
the  character  of  a  trader  in  a*  caravan  to  the 
interior,  or  for  travelling  in  any  other  manner, 
wiiich  he  should  deem  most  expedient  when 
on  the  spot.  The  last  letter  he  wrote  to 
America  was  a  short  one,  dated  at  London, 
on  the  29th  of  June. 

"  I  suppose  that  my  letter  and  curiosities, 
sent  by  Mr.  Jar  vis,  are  now  half  way  over  the 
Atlantic.  Here  you  have  a  little  portrait, 
which  I  leave  to  the  care  of  his  brother  in 
town.  Enclosed  with  it  is  a  poor  portrait  of 
me,  taken  by  the  dumb  boy  mentioned  in  my 
other  letter.  If  it  were  anything  like  paint- 
ing, I  would  desire  you  to  keep  it.  As  it  is, 
I  beg  you  will  send  it  to  my  mother.  She 
will  be  as  fond  of  it,  as  if  done  by  Guido.  I 
would  have  sent  it  framed,  if  the  opportunity 
would  have  permitted.  To-morrow  morning  I 
set  out  for  France.     Adieu." 

Accordingly  he  left  London  on  the  30th  of 
June.  Mr.  Beaufoy  speaks  of  the  interview  he 
had  with  him,  just  as  he  was  setting  off,  and 
adds  these  affecting  remarks,  as  given  in  Led- 
yard's  own  words. 

" '  1  am  accustomed,'  said  he,  in  our  last 
conversation,  ('twas  on  the  morning  of  his  de- 
parture for  Africa,)  '1  am  accustomed  to  hard- 
ships.    I  have  known  both  hunger  and  naked- 


i 

it: 

t-' 

.11  PW'.  I 

■r'  It.  V'      ■ 


i:  \       '  I 

.   'I- ;  'i 

</  ,- 
.:.,  t  •' , 

•"-^1.;  . 

'If 


■tl 


390 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHT. 


hfM 


a 


ness  to  the  utmost  extremity  of  human  suffer- 
ing. I  have  known  what  it  is  to  have  food 
given  me  as  charity  to  a  madman ;  and  I  have 
at  times  been  obliged  to  shelter  myself  under 
the  miseries  of  that  character,  to  avoid  a  heav- 
ier calamity.  My  distresses  have  been  greater 
than  I  have  ever  owned,  or  ever  will  own  to 
any  man.  Such  evils  are  terrible  to  bear ;  but 
they  never  yet  had  power  to  turn  me  from 
my  purpose.  If  I  live,  I  will  faithfully  per- 
form, in  its  utmost  extent,  my  engagement  to 
the  Society ;  ond  if  I  perish  in  the  attempt, 
my  honor  will  stiil  be  safe,  for  death  cancels 
all  bonds.'" 

In  Paris  he  met  with  Mr.  Jefferson,  Lafay- 
ette, and  several  others  of  his  old  friends, 
whom  he  had  left  there  three  years  before, 
and  towards  whom  he  entertained  sentiments 
of  the  warmest  gratitude.  He  continued  at 
Paris  seven  or  eight  days,  and  then  proceeded 
to  Marseilles,  where  he  took  ship  for  Alexan- 
dria. From  this  place  he  wrote  to  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son the  following  letter. 

"As  I  shall  go  to  Cairo  in  a  few  days, 
from  whence  it  may  be  difficult  for  me  to 
write  to  you,  I  do  it  here,  though  unprepared. 
I  am  in  good  health  and  spirits,  and  the  pros- 
pects before  me  are  flattering.  This  intelli- 
gence, with  my  wishes  for  your  happiness  and 


JOHN     LEDYARO. 


€91 


an  eternal  remembrance  of  your  goodness  to 
me,  must  form  the  only  part  of  my  letter  of 
any  consequence;  except  that  I  desire  to  be 
remembered  to  the  Marquis  de  Lafayette,  his 
lady,  Mr.  Short,  and  other  friends.  Deducting 
the  week  I  stayed  at  Paris,  and  two  days  at 
Marseilles,  I  was  only  thirty-four  days  from 
London  to   this  place. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  inform  you,  that  I  regret 
having  visited  the  gentleman  you  mentioned, 
and  of  having  made  use  of  your  name.  I 
shall  ever  think,  though  he  was  extremely  po- 
lite, that  he  rather  strove  to  prevent  my  em- 
barking at  Marseilles,  than  to  facilitate  it ;  for, 
by  bandying  me  about  among  the  members 
of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  he  had  nearly, 
and  very  nearly,  lost  me  my  passage  ;  and  in 
the  last  ship  from  Marseilles  for  the  season. 
He  knew  better ;  he  knew  that  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce  had  no  business  with  me ;  and, 
besides,  I  only  asked  him  if  he  could  without 
trouble  address  me  to  the  captain  of  a  ship 
bound  to  Alexandria ;  nothing  more. 

"  Alexandria  at  large  presents  a  scene  more 
wretched,  than  I  have  witnessed.  Poverty, 
rapine,  mvn-der,  tumult,  blind  bigotry,  cruel  per- 
secution, pesiilence !  A  small  town  built  on 
the  ruins  of  antiquity,  as  remarkable  for  its 
miserable    architecture    as  I  suppose  the   place 


if 


'.II 


^m 


m 


wM'i 


li  i^ 


m 


l:V' 


lift  pi';  ir 


i!||^^"^^' 


I    ^' 


?t" 


39» 


AMEB.1CAN     BIOGRAFHJr, 


once  was  for  its  good  and  great  works  of  tliat 
kind.  Ponipey's  Pillar  and  Cleopatra's  Obelisk 
are  now  almost  the  only  remains  of  remote 
antitiuity.  They  are  both,  and  particularly  the 
former,  noble  objects  to  contemplate,  and  are 
certainly  more  captivating  from  the  contrast  of 
the  deserts  and  forlorn  prospects  around  them. 
No  man,  of  whatever  turn  of  mind,  can  see  the 
whole,  without  retiring  from  the  scene  with  a 
Sic  transit  gloria  mundiy 

Having  passed  ten  days  only  at  Alexandria, 
he  pursued  his  journey  up  the  Nile  to  Cairo, 
where  he  arrived  on  the  19th  of  August. 
Here  again  he  wrote  to  Mr.  Jefferson. 

"  I  sent  you  a  short  letter  from  Alexandria. 
1  begin  this  without  knowing  where  I  shall 
close  it,  or  when  I  shall  send  it,  or,  indeed, 
whether  I  shall  ever  send  it.  But  I  will  have 
it  r'^'^dy,  in  case  an  opportunity  shall  offer 
Having  been  in  Cairo  only  four  days,  I  have 
not  seen  much  of  particular  interest  for  you  ; 
and,  inaeed,  you  will  not  expect  much  of  this 
kind  from  ms.  My  business  is  in  another  quar- 
ter, and  the  information  I  seek  totally  new. 
Anything  from  this  place  would  not  be  so. 

"At  all  events,  I  shall  never  want  a  subject 
when  it  is  to  you  I  write.  I  shall  never 
think  my  letter  an  indifferent  one,  when  it 
contains  the  declaration  of    my    gratit-u'e    and 


;: 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


393 


my  affection  for  you ;  and  this,  notwithstand- 
ing you  thought  hard  of  me  for  being  em- 
ployed by  an  English  Association,  which  hurt 
me  much  while  I  was  at  Paris.  You  know 
your  own  heart,  and  if  my  suspicions  are 
groundless,  forgive  them,  since  they  proceed 
from  the  jealousy  I  have,  not  to  lose  the  re- 
gard you  have  in  times  past  been  pleased  to 
honor  me  with.  You  are  not  obliged  to  es- 
teem me,  but  I  am  obli'ged  to  esteem  you,  or 
to  take  leave  of  my  senses,  and  confront  the 
opinions  of  the  greatest  and  best  characters  I 
know.  If  I  cannot,  therefore,  address  myself 
to  you  as  a  man  you  regard,  I  must  do  it  as 
one  that  regards  you  for  your  own  sake,  and 
for  the  sake  of  my  country,  which  has  set  me 
the  example. 

"  I  made  my  tour  from  Alexandria  by  water, 
and  entered  the  Nile  by  the  western  branch 
of  the  mouths  of  the  river.  I  was  five  days 
coming  to  Cairo  ;  but  this  passage  is  generally 
made  in  four,  and  sometimes  in  three  days. 
You  have  heard  and  read  much  of  the  Nile, 
and  so  had  I;  but  when  I  saw  it,  I  could  not 
conceive  it  to  be  the  same.  What  eyes  do 
travellers  see  with  ?  Are  they  fools  or  rogues  ? 
For  Heaven's  sake,  hear  the  plain  truth  about 
It.  First,  in  regard  to  its  size.  Obvious  com- 
parisons in  such  cases  're  good.  Do  you 
know  the  River  Connecticut  ?    Of  all  tha  riv* 


1, 


■:f: 


m 


■I  !  ■ 


:iv" 


■V- 


|;' 

:if.  ■  ■ 
if 


rfH. 


ft,'   ».*    ! 


394 


AMERICAN     B I  0  G  R  A  P  1 1  y , 


ers  I  have  seen,  it  most  rpsembles  that  in  size 
It  is  a  little  wider,  and  may  on  that  accounl 
better  compare  with  the  Thames.  This  is  the 
mighty,  the  sovereign  of  rivers,  the  vast  Nile, 
that  has  been  metamorphosed  into  one  of  the 
wonders  of  the  world.  Let  me  be  careful  how 
1  read,  and  above  all  how  I  read  ancient  his- 
tory. You  have  heard  and  read,  too,  mucli 
of  its  inundations.  If  the  thousands  of  large 
\i]d  small  canals  from  it,  and  the  thousands 
of  men  and  machines  employed  to  tran&fer  by 
irtificial  means  the  water  of  the  Nile  to  the 
meadows  on  its  banks,  if  this  be  the  inunda- 
tion that  is  meant,  it  is  true ;  any  other  is 
false.  It  is  not  an  inundating  river.  I  came 
up  the  river  from  the  15th  to  the  20th  of 
August,  and  about  the  30th  the  water  will  be 
at  the  height  of  the  freshet.  When  I  left  the 
river,  its  banks  were  four,  five,  and  six  feet, 
above  the  water,  and  here  in  town  1  am  told 
they  expect  the  Nile  to  be  only  one  or  two 
feet  higher  at  the  most.  This  is  a  proof,  if 
any  were  wanted,  that  the  river  does  not  over- 
flow its  banks. 

"  I  saw  the  pyramids  as  I  passed  up  the 
river,  but  they  were  four  or  five  leagues  off. 
It  is  warm  weather  here  at  present,  and  were 
it  not  for  the  north  winds,  that  cool  themselves 
in  their  passage  over  the  Mediterranean,  and 
blow  upon  us,  we  <»hould  be  in  a  sad  situation. 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


395 


As  it  is,  I  think  I  have  felt  it  hotter  at  Phil- 
adelphia in  the  same  month.  The  city  of 
Cairo  is  about  half  as  large  in  size  as  Paris, 
and  is  said  to  contain  seven  hundred  thousand 
inhabitants.  You  will  therefore  anticipate  the 
fact  of  its  narrow  streets  and  hi2;h  houses.  In 
this  number  are  contained  one  hundred  thou- 
sand Copts,  or  descendants  of  the  ancient 
Egyptians.  There  are  likewise  Christians,  and 
those  of  different  sects,  from  Jerusalem,  Da- 
mascus, Aleppo,  and  other  parts  of  Syria. 

"  With  regard  to  my  journey,  1  can  only  tell 
you  with  any  certainty,  that  I  shall  be  able  to 
pass  as  far  as  the  western  boundaries  of  what 
is  called  Turkish  Nubia  to  the  town  of  Sen- 
naar.  I  expect  to  get  there  with  some  surety. 
Beyond  that  all  is  dark  before  me.  My  wishes 
and  designs  are  to  pass  in  that  parallel  across 
the  continent.  I  will  write  from  Sennaar  if 
I  can. 

"  You  know  the  disturbances  in  this  un- 
happy country,  and  the  nature  of  them.  The 
Beys,  revolted  from  the  Bashaw,  have  posses- 
sion of  Upper  Egypt,  and  are  now  encamped 
with  an  army,  pitiful  enough  indeed,  about 
three  miles  south  of  Cairo.  They  say  to  the 
Bashaw,  'Come  out  of  your  city  and  fight 
us  ; '  and  the  Bashaw  says,  '  Come  out  of  your 
intrenchments  and  fight  me.'  You  know  this 
revolt  is  a  stroke  in  Russian  politics.     Noth- 


i  >■■ 


■"'''"•'11 


ml 

m 


PiJI 


396 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


ing  merits  more  the  whole  force  of  burlesque, 
than  both  the  poetic  and  prosaic  legends  of 
this  country.  Sweet  are  the  songs  of  Egypt 
on  paper.  Who  is  not  ravished  with  gum?, 
balms,  dates,  figs,  pomegranates,  cassia,  and 
sycamores,  without  recollecting  that  amidst 
these  are  dust,  hot  and  fainting  winds,  bugs, 
mosquitos,  spiders,  flies,  leprosy,  fevers,  and 
almost  universal  blindness  ?  I  am  in  perfect 
health.  Adieu  for  the  present,  and  believe  me 
to  be,  with  all  possible  esteem  and  regard, 
your  sincere  friend." 


CHAPTER   XIV. 


*^;'i«!i 


Interview  u\lth  the  Aga.  —  Observations  on  the 
Customs  of  the  Arabs.  —  Information  respect- 
ing the  Interior  of  Africa.  —  Visit  to  the 
Caravans  and  Slave  Markets.  —  Rejlections  on 
his  Condition  and  Prospects.  —  His  last  Let- 
ter  to  Mr.  Jefferson.  —  Joins  a  Caravan  and 
prepares  to  depart  for  Sennnar.  —  Taken 
suddenhj  ill.  —  Hi?  Death.  —  His  Person  and 
Character. 


As  he  was  furnished  with  letters  of  recom- 
mendation to  the  British  Consul  at  Cairo,  he 
fbund  little  difficulty  in  procuring  such  accom- 


JOHN     I.  E  D  Y  A  R  D  . 


397 


modations  as  he  desired,  and  such  information 
as  enabled  him  to  direct  his  attention  imme- 
diately to  the  great  object  of  his  mission.  His 
intention  was  to  join  a  caravan  bound  to  the 
interior,  and  to  continne  with  it  u  the  end  of 
its  rente.  Beyond  this  he  must  be  guided  by 
circumstances,  which  could  not  be  foreseen, 
and  concerning  which  no  calculation  was  to 
be  made.  He  adopted  a  dress  suited  to  the 
character  he  was  to  assume,  and  began  in  earn- 
est to  study  the  manners  of  the  people  around 
him,  and  particularly  of  the  traders  in  the  car- 
avans, which  were  then  at  Cairo.  Three 
months  were  passed  in  this  occupation.  He 
kept  a  journal  of  whatever  he  deemed  most 
worthy  of  record,  which  was  afterwards  trans- 
mitted to  the  African  Association.  Such  parts 
of  the  journal,  as  are  contained  in  the  Pro- 
ceedings of  that  body,  will  here  be  added. 
They  bear  the  peculiar  marks  of  the  author's 
mind,  his  habits  of  observation,  his  boldness 
of  thought  and  opinion,  and  his  quick  percep- 
tion of  resemblance  and  contrast  in  the  vari- 
ous races  of  men. 

^^  August  liih.  I  left  Alexandria  at  mid- 
night, with  a  pleasant  breeze  north  ;  and  was, 
at  sinn'ise  next  morning,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Nile,  which  has  a  bar  of  sand  across  it,  and 
soundings   as    irregular    as    the    sea,    which    is 


I'm 


r-.4 1 


m 


Pi 
m 


398 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


pWi 

K| 

raised   upon    it    by  the    contentions  of  counter 
currents  and  winds. 

"  The"  view  in  sailing  up  the  Nile  is  very- 
con  fined,  unless  from  the  top  of  the  mast,  or 
some  other  eminence,  and  then  it  is  an  un- 
bounded plain  of  excellent  land,  miserably  cul- 
tivated, and  yet  interspersed  with  a  great  num- 
ber of  villages,  both  on  its  banks  and  as  far 
along  the  meadows  as  one  can  see  in  any  di- 
rection. The  riv'^er  is  also  filled  with  boats 
passing  and  repassing  ;  boats  all  of  one  kind, 
and  navigated  in  one  manner ;  nearly  also  of 
one  size,  the  largest  carrying  ten  or  fifteen 
tons.  On  board  of  these  boats  are  seen  onions, 
watermelons,  dates,  sometimes  a  horse,  a  camel, 
(which  lies  down  in  the  boat,)  sheep,  goats, 
dogs,  men,  and  women.  Towards  evening  and 
morning  they  have  music. 

"  Whenever  we  stopped  at  a  village,  1  used 
to  walk  into  it  with  my  conductor,  who,  being 
a  Mussulman,  and  a  descendant  from  Mahomet, 
wore  a  green  turban,  and  was  therefore  respect- 
ed, and  I  was  sure  of  safety  ;  but,  in  truth, 
dressed  as  I  was  in  a  common  Turkish  habit, 
I  believe  I  should  have  walked  as  safely  with- 
out him,  I  saw  no  propensity  among  the  in- 
habitants to  incivility.  The  villages  are  most 
miserable  assemblages  of  poor  little  mud  huts, 
flung  very  close  together  without  any  kind  of 


JOHN      L  E  D  Y  A  R  D  , 


309 


order,  full  of  dust,  lice,  fleas,  bugs,  flits,  aud  all 
the  curses  of  Moses ;  people  poorly  clad,  the 
youths  naked  ;  in  such  res[)ects,  they  rank  in- 
finitely below  any  savages  1  ever  saw. 

"  The  common  people  wear  nothing  but  a 
shirt  and  drawers,  and  they  are  always  blue. 
Green  is  the  royal,  or  holy  color ;  none  but 
the  descendants  of  Mahomet,  if  I  am  rightl)' 
informed,  being  permitted  to  wear  it. 

^^  August  19th.  From  the  little  town  where 
we  landed,  the  distance  to  Cairo  is  about  a 
mile  and  a  half,  which  we  rode  on  asses;  for 
the  ass  in  this  country  is  the  Christian's  horse, 
as  he  is  allowed  no  other  animal  to  ride  upon. 
Indeed  I  find  the  situation  of  a  Christian,  or 
what  they  more  commonly  call  here  a  Frank, 
to  be  very,  very  humiliating,  ignominious,  and 
distressing.  No  one,  by  a  combination  of  any 
causes,  can  reason  down  to  such  eflfects  as  ex- 
perience teaches  us  do  exist  here  ;  it  being 
impossible  to  conceive,  that  the  enmity  I  have 
alluded  to  could  exist  between  men  ;  or,  in 
fact,  that  the  same  species  of  beings,  from  any 
causes  whatever,  should  ever  think  and  act 
so  liifFerentl/  as  the  Egyptians  and  the  Eng- 
lish do. 

"  1  arrived  at  Cairo  early  in  the  mormng, 
on  the  19th  of  August,  and  went  to  the  house 
of    the    Venetian    Consul,    Mr.    Rosetti,   charge 


■.::!' I 


'4 


■m 


■  m 


dm 


^^B 


400 


AMERICAN     B  1  O  G  R  A  IMI  y  . 


MM 


d^ affaires  for  tlie  English  Consul  here.  Aftei 
dinner,  not  being  able  to  find  any  other  lodg- 
ing, and  receiving  no  very  pressing  invitation 
from  Mr.  Rosetti  to  lodge  with  him,  I  went  to 
a  convent.  This  convent  consists  of  mission- 
aries, sent  by  the  Pope  to  propagate  the  Chris- 
tian faith,  or  at  least  to  give  shelter  to  Chris- 
tians. The  Christians  here  are  principally  from 
Damascus ;  the  convent  is  governed  by  the 
order  of  Recollets ;  a  number  of  English,  as 
well  as  other  European  travellers,  have  lodged 
there. 

"  August  26th.  This  day  I  was  introduced 
by  Rosetti  to  the  Aga  Mahommed,  the  confi- 
dential minister  of  Ismael,  the  most  powerful 
of  the  four  ruling  Beys.  He  gave  me  his  hand 
to  kiss,  and  with  it  the  promise  of  letters, 
protection,  and  support,  through  Turkish  Nubia, 
and  also  to  some  chiefs  far  inland.  In  a  sub- 
sequent conversation,  he  told  me  I  should  see 
in  my  travels  a  people  who  had  power  to 
transmute  themselves  into  the  forms  of  differ- 
ent animals.  He  asked  me  what  I  thought 
of  the  affair.  1  did  not  like  to  render  the 
ignorance,  simplicity,  and  credulity  of  the  Turk 
apparent.  I  told  him,  that  it  formed  a  part  of 
the  character  of  all  savages  to  be  great  necro- 
mancers; but  that  I  had  never  before  heard 
of  any  so    great  as  those  which  he  had  done 


t  Am 


'■   .! 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


401 


me  the  honor  to  describe  ;  that  it  had  rendered 
me  more  anxious  to  be  on  my  voyage,  and,  if 
I  passed  among  them,  I  would,  in  the  letter  1 
promised  to  write  to  hinij  give  him  a  more 
particular  account  of  them  tiian  he  had  hith- 
erto had.  He  asked  me  how  I  could  travel 
without  the  language  of  the  people  where  I 
should  pass.  I  told  him,  with  vocabularies. 
[  might  as  well  have  read  to  him  a  page  of 
Newton's  Principia.  He  returned  to  his  fables 
again.  Is  it  not  curious,  that  the  Egyptians 
(for  I  s])cak  of  the  natives  of  the  country,  as 
well  as  of  him,  when  I  make  the  observation,) 
are  still  such  dupes  to  the  arts  of  sorcery  ? 
Was  it  the  same  people  who  built  the  pyra- 
mids ? 

"  I  cannot  understand  that  the  Turks  have 
a  better  opinion  of  our  mental  powers  than 
we  have  of  theirs ;  but  they  say  of  us,  that  we 
are  '  a  pcojile  who  carry  our  minds  on  our  fingers^ 
ends ; '  meaning,  that  we  put  them  in  exercise 
constantly,  and  render  them  subservient  to  all 
manner  of  purposes,  and  with  celerity,  despatch, 
and  ease,  do  what   we  do. 

"  I  suspect  the  Copts  to  have  been  the  ori- 
gin of  the  Negro  race  ;  the  nose  and  lips  cor- 
respond with  those  of  the  Negro.  The  hair, 
whenever  I  can  see  it  among  the  people  here, 
(the  Copts,)  is  curled  ;  not  close  like    the    Ne- 


VOL.    xiv. 


26 


ki 


#■•■ 


J,,.. ) 


h^ 


s 


.1 


,» 


402 


AMERlCiLN     BIOGRAPHY. 


't 


>':'^ 


ml  >.  i»'i 


w*  1*1 


groes,  but  like  the  Mulattoes.  I  observe  a 
greater  variety  of  color  among  the  human  spe- 
cies here,  than  in  any  other  country ;  and  a 
greater  variety  of  feature,  than  in  any  other 
country  not  possessing  a  greater  degree  of  civ- 
ihzation.  I  have  seen  an  Abyssinian  woman, 
and  a  Bengal  man  ;  the  color  is  the  same  in 
both  ;  so  are  their  features  and  persons. 

"  I  have  seen  a  small  mummy ;  it  has  what 
1  call  wampum-work  on  it.  It  appears  as  com- 
mon here  as  among  the  Tartars.  Tattooing 
is  as  prevalent  among  the  Arabs  of  this  place, 
as  among  the  South  Sea  Islanders.  It  is  a 
little  curious,  that  the  women  here  are  more 
generally  than  in  any  other  part  of  the  world 
tattooed  on  the  chin,  with  perpendicular  lines 
descending  from  the  under  lip  to  the  chin, 
like  the  women  ou  the  Northwest  Coast  of 
America.  It  is  also  a  custom  here  to  stain 
the  nails  red,  like  the  Coclihi  Chinese,  and  the 
northern  Tartars.  The  mask,  or  veil,  that  the 
women  here  wear,  resembles  exactly  that  worn 
by  the  priests  at  Otaheite,  and  those  seen  at 
the  Sandwich  Islands. 

"  I  have  not  yet  seen  the  Arabs  make  use 
of  a  tool  like  our  axe  or  hatchet ;  but  what 
they  use  for  such  purposes,  as  we  do  our 
hatchet  and  axe,  is  in  the  form  of  an  adze, 
and    is   a   form    we    found   most    agreeable    to 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


403 


tho  South  Sea  islanders.  I  see  no  instance 
of  a  tool  formed  designedly  for  the  use  of  the 
right  or  left  hand  particularly,  as  the  cotogon  is 
among  the  Yakuti  Tartars. 

"  There  is  certainly  a  very  remarkable  affin- 
ity between  the  Russian  and  Greek  dress. 
The  fillet  round  the  temples  of  the  Greek 
and  Russian  women  is  a  circumstance  in  dress, 
that  perhaps  would  strike  nobody  as  it  does 
me  ;  and  so  of  the  wampum-work,  too,  which 
is  also  found  among  them  both.  They  spin 
liere  with  the  distaff  and  spindle  only,  like  the 
French  peasantry,  and  others  in  Europe  ;  and 
the  common  Arab  loom  is  upon  our  principle, 
though  rude.  I  saw  to-day  an  Arab  woman^ 
white,  like  the  white  Ind  ans  in  the  South 
Sea  Islands,  and  at  the  Isthmus  of  Darien 
These  kind  of  people  all  look  alike.  Among 
the  Greek  women  here,  I  find  the  identical 
Archangel  headdress. 

"  Their  music  is  instrumental,  consisting  of 
a  drum  and  pipe,  both  which  resemble  those 
two  instruments  in  the  South  Seas.  The 
drum  is  exactly  like  the  Otaheite  drum  ;  the 
pipe  is  made  of  cane,  and  consists  of  a  long 
and  short  tube  joined ;  the  music  resembles 
very  much  the  bagpipe,  and  is  pleasant.  All 
their  music  is  concluded,  if  not  accompanied, 
by  the  clapping  of  hands.     I  think   it  singular, 


I' 


f]. 


SI) 


H 


'"i 


404 


AMERICAN     BIOGUAPHY. 


!-%Cp5^ 


t 


m 


Rm2 


E' 


l^fHi 


m4 


M^J 


m: 


that  tlie  women  here  make  a  noise  with  theii 
mouths  like  frogs,  and  that  this  frog  music  is 
always  made  at  weddings;  and  I  believe  on 
all  other  occasions  of  merriment,  where  there 
are  women. 

''It  is  remarkable,  that  the  dogs  here  are 
of  just  the  same  species  found  among  the 
Otaheitans.  It  is  also  remarkable,  that  in  one 
village  I  saw  exactly  the  same  machines  used 
for  diversion  as  in  Russia.  I  forget  the  Rus- 
sian name  for  it.  It  is  a  large  kind  of  wheel, 
on  the  extremities  of  which  there  are  sus- 
pended seats,  in  wluch  people  are  whirled 
round  over  and  under  each  other. 

"  The  women  dress  their  hair  behind,  ex- 
actly in  the  same  manner  in  which  the  women 
of  the   Kalmuk  Tartars  dress  theirs. 

"  In  the  history  of  the  kingdom  of  Benin, 
in  Guinea,  the  chiefs  are  called  Aree  Roee,  or 
street  kings.  Among  the  islands  in  the  South 
Seas,  Otaheite  and  others,  they  call  the  chiefs 
Arces,  and  the  great  chiefs  Arcc  Ic  Hoi  I 
tliink  this  curious  ;  and  so  I  do,  that  it  is  a 
custom  of  the  Arabs  to  spread  a  blanket,  when 
they  would  invite  any  one  to  eat  or  rest  with 
them.  The  American  Indians  spread  the  bea- 
ver skins  on  such  occasions.  The  Arabs  of 
the  dc:.crts,  like  the  Tartars,  have  an  invinci- 
ble attachment  to  liberty;    no  arts  will  rccon- 


MP 


JOHN      L  E  D  Y  A  R  £) . 


405 


if 


[le,  or 

OLlth 

ihiefs 

I 

is    ;i 

heti 

Kvith 

bea- 

of 

linci- 

con* 


cile  them  to  any  olher  life,  or  form  of  govern- 
ment, however  modified.  T'his  is  a  character 
given  me  here  of  the  Arabs.  It  is  singular, 
that  the  Arah  language  has  no  word  for  lib' 
erty,  although  it  has  for  slave.  The  Arabs, 
like  the  New  Zealanders,  engage  with  a  long, 
strong  spear. 

"  I  have  made  the  best  inquiries  I  have 
been  able,  since  I  have  been  here,  of  the  na- 
ture of  the  country  before  me ;  of  Sennaar, 
Darfoor,  Wangara,  of  Nubia,  Abyssinia,  of  those 
named,  or  unknown  by  name.  I  should  have 
been  happy  to  have  sent  you  better  informa- 
tion of  those  places  than  I  am  yet  able  to  do. 
It  will  appear  very  singular  to  you  in  England, 
that  we  in  Egypt  are  so  ignorant  of  countries 
which  we  annually  visit.  The  Egyptians  know 
as  little  of  geography  as  the  generality  of  the 
French  ;  and,  like  them,  sing,  dance,  and  traffic 
without  it. 

"  I  have  the  best  assurances  of  a  certain 
and  safe  conduct,  by  the  return  of  the  caravan 
that  is  arrived  from  Sennaar ;  and  Mr.  Rosetti 
tells  me,  that  the  letters  I  shall  have  from  the 
Aga  here  will,  insure  me  of  being  conveyed, 
from  hand  to  hand,  to  my  journey's  end.  The 
Mahometans  in  Africa  are  what  the  Russians 
are  in  Siberia,  a  trading,  enterprising,  supersti- 
tious, warlike  set  of  vagabonds,  and  wherever 


'■If 


I 

I 


m 


r ^^ 


406 


MERICAN     BIOGRAPHY, 


^:'< 


wt-; ,, 


ihey  are  set  upon  going,  they  will  and  do  go  ; 
but  they  neither  can  nor  do  make  voyages 
merely  commercial,  or  merely  religious,  across 
Africa ;  and  where  we  do  not  find  them  iii 
commerce,  we  find  them  not  at  all.  They 
cannot,  however  vehemently  pushed  on  by  re- 
ligion, afford  to  cross  the  continent  without 
trading  by  the  way. 

"  October  14th.  I  went  to-day  to  the  m^i- 
ket-place,  where  they  vend  the  black  j  " v 
that  come  from  towards  the  interior  parts  of 
Africa.  There  were  two  hundred  of  them  to- 
gether, dressed  and  ornamented  as  in  their 
country.  The  appearance  of  a  savage  in  every 
region  is  almost  the  same.  There  were  very 
few  men  among  them  ;  this  indicates  that  they 
are  prisoners  of  war.  They  have  a  great  many 
beads,  and  other  ornaments  about  -them,  that 
are  fom  the  East.  I  was  told  by  one  of 
them,  that  they  came  from  the  west  of  Sen- 
naar,  fifty-five  days'  journey,  which  may  he 
about  four  or  five  hundred  miles.  A  Negro 
chief  said  the  Nile  had  its  source  in  his  coun- 
Uj.  In  general  they  had  their  hair  plaited  in 
a  great  number  Oi"  small  detached  plaits,  none 
exceeding  in  length  six  or  eight  inches  ;  the 
hair  was  filled  with  grease  and  dirt,  purposely 
daubed  on. 

"  October  16th.      I    have    renewed  my  visit 


J 


c 


JOHN     LEDYARD 


407 


L-tsely 


visit 


{  he 

egro 

oun- 

;d  in 

none 

the 

to-day,  and  passed  it  more  agreeably  than  yes- 
terday ;  for  yesterday  I  was  rudely  treated- 
The  Franks  are  prohibited  to  purchase  slaves, 
and  therefore  the  Turks  do  not  like  to  see 
them  in  the  market.  Mr.  Rosetti  favored  me 
with  one  of  his  running  charge  d'affaires  to 
accompa.iy  me ;  but  having  observed  yesterday 
among  the  ornaments  of  the  Negroes  a  variety 
of  beads,  and  wanting  to  know  from  what 
country  they  came,  I  requested  Mr.  Rosetti, 
previously  to  my  second  visit,  to  show  me  from 
his  store  samples  of  Venetian  beads.  He 
showed  me  samples  of  fifteen  hundred  differ- 
ent kinds  ;  after  this  I  set  out. 

"  The  name  of  the  country  these  savages 
come  from  is  Uarfoor,  and  is  well  known  on 
account  of  the  slave  trade,  as  well  as  of  that 
in  gum  and  elephants'  teeth.  The  appearance 
of  these  Negroes  declares  them  to  be  a  people 
in  as  savage  a  state  as  any  people  can  be ; 
but  not  of  so  savage  a  temper,  or  of  that  spe- 
cies of  countenance  that  indicates  savage  in- 
telligence. They  appear  a  harmless  wild  peo- 
ple ;  but  they  are  mostly   young  women. 

''The  beads  they  are  ornamented  with  are 
Venetian  ;  and  they  have  some  Venetian  brass 
medals,  which  the  Venetians  make  for  trade. 
The  beads  are  worked  wampum-wise.  I  know 
not    where    they   got    the    marine   shells    they 


d  ■ 


ill 


I 


ts « 


■M 


IB' 


40S 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


m 


worked  among  their  beads,  nor  how  they  could 
have  seen  white  men.  I  asked  them  if  they 
would  use  me  well  in  their  count)  y,  if  I 
should  visit  it  ?  They  said,  Ye^  ;  and  added, 
that  they  should  make  a  king  of  me,  and  treat 
me  with  all  the  delicacies  of  their  country. 
Tiike  the  Egyptian  women,  and  like  most  othe- 
t  v;es,  they  stick  on  ornaments  wherever  they 
can,  and  wear,  like  them,  a  great  ring  in  the 
nose,  either  from  the  cartilage  or  from  the  side  ; 
they  also  rub  on  some  black  kind  of  paint 
round  the  eyes,  like  the  Egyptian  women. 
They  are  a  sizeable,  well  formed  people,  quite 
black,  with  what  I  believe,  we  call  the  true 
Guinea  face,  and  with  curled  short  hair ;  but 
not  more  curled  or  shorter  than  I  have  seen  it 
among  the  Egyptians ;  but,  i"  general,  these 
savages  plait  it  in  tassels  plastered  with  clay 
or  paint.  Among  some  of  them  the  hair  is  a 
foot  long,  and  curled,  resembling  exactly  one  of 
our  mops.  The  prevailing  color,  where  it  can 
be  seen,  is  a  black  and  red  mixed.  I  think  it 
would  make  any  hair  curl,  even  Uncle  Toby's 
wig,  to  be  plaited  and  plastered  as  this  is. 
This  caravan,  which  I  call  the  Darfoor  caravan, 
is  not  very  rich.  The  Sennaar  is  the  rich 
caravan. 

^^  October  19th.     I  went   yesterday  to  see  if 
more  of  the  Darfoor  caravan  had  arrived;  but 


JOHN      LEDYARD. 


409 


could 
f  they 
,  if  I 
added, 
d  treat 
aukitry. 
it  othcr- 
er  they 

in  the 
e  side ; 
f  paint 
women, 
e,  quite 
he  true 
lir;  but 

seen  it 
1,  these 
th  clay 
air  is  a 

one  of 
it  can 
think  it 

Toby's 

this   is. 

caravan, 

he   rich 

t)  see  if 
ed;  but 


they  were  not.  I  wonder  why  travellers  to 
Cairo  have  n  t  visited  these  slave  markets,  and 
conversed  with  the  Jelabs,  or  travelling  mer- 
chants of  these  caravans ;  both  are  certainly 
sources  of  great  information.  The  eighth  part 
of  tlie  money  expended  on  other  accounts 
might  here  answer  some  good,  solid  purpose. 
For  my  part,  I  have  not  expended  a  crown, 
and  I  have  a  better  idea  of  the  people  of  Af- 
rica, of  its  trade,  of  the  position  of  places,  the 
nature  of  the  country,  and  manner  of  travel- 
ling, than  ever  I  had  by  any  other  means ; 
and,  I  believe,  better  than  any  other  means 
would  afford  me. 

^*  October  25th.  I  have  been  again  to  the 
slave  market ;  but  neither  the  Jelabs  (a  name 
whicli  in  this  country  is  given  to  all  travel- 
ling merchants)  nor  the  slaves  are  yet  arrived 
in  town  ;  they  will  be  here  to-morrow.  I  met 
two  or  three  in  the  street,  and  one  with  a 
shield  and  spear.  I  have  understood  to-day, 
that  the  King  of  Sennaar  is  himself  a  mer- 
chant, and  concerned  in  the  Sennaar  caravans. 
The  merchant  here,  who  contracts  to  convey 
me  to  Sennaar,  is  Procurer  at  Cairo  to  the 
King  of  Sennaar ;  this  is  a  good  circumstance, 
and  one  I  knew  not  of  till  to-day.  Mr.  Ro- 
setti  informed  me  of  it.  He  informed  me  also, 
that  this  year  the   importation  of  Negro  slaves 


M 


I A 


■•'I 
■U 

■' 

ii 

:in 
"'■fl 

■9' 

.1 

'■II 


410 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


into  Egypt  will  amount  to  twenty  thousand. 
The  caravans  from  the  interior  countries  of 
Africa  do  not  arrive  here  uniformly  every  year ; 
they  are  sometimes  absent  two  or  three  years. 

"  Among  a  dozen  of  Sennaar  slaves,  I  saw 
three  personable  men,  of  a  good  bright  olive 
color,  of  vivacious  and  intelligent  countenances; 
but  they  had  all  three  (which  first  attracted 
my  notice)  heads  uncommonly  formed ;  the 
forehead  was  the  narrowest,  the  longest,  and 
most  protuberant  I  ever  saw.  Many  of  these 
slaves  speak  a  few  words  of  the  Arab  lan- 
guage ;  but  whether  they  learned  them  before 
or  since  their  captivity  I  cannot  tell. 

"A  caravan  goes  from  here  to  Fezzan, 
which  they  call  a  journey  of  fifty  days ;  and 
from  Fezzan  to  Tombuctou,  which  they  call  a 
journey  of  ninety  days.  The  caravans  travel 
about  twenty  miles  a  day,  which  makes  the 
distance  on  the  road  from  here  to  Fezzan 
one  thoLj-^ind  miles ;  and  from  Fezzan  to  Tom- 
buctou, one  thousand  eight  hundred  miles. 
From  here  to  Sennaar  is  reckoned  six  hun- 
dred miles.  I  have  been  waiting  several  days 
to  have  an  interview  with  the  Jelabs,  who  go 
from  hence  to  Sennaar.  I  am  told  that  they 
carry,  in  general,  trinkets ;  but  among  other 
things  soap,  antimony,  red  linen,  razors,  scis- 
sors,  mirrors,  beads  j  and,  as  far  as  I  can   yet 


JOHN     L  E  D  V  A 11 D  . 


dU 


jzzan, 
;  and 
call  a 
ravel 
the 
ezzan 
Tom- 
miles. 

hun- 
days 

ho  go 
they 
other 
scis- 

n   yet 


learn,  they  bring  from  Sennaar  elephants  teeth, 
the  gum  called  here  gmn  Sennaar,  camels,  os- 
trich  leatliers,  and  slaves. 

''  VVangara  is  talked  of  here  as  a  place  pro- 
ducing much  gold,  and  as  a  kingdora;  all  ac- 
counts, and  there  are  many,  agree  in  this.  The 
King  of  Wangara  (whom  I  hope  to  see  in 
about  lliree  months  after  leaving  this)  is  said 
to  dispose  of  just  what  quantity  lie  pleases 
of  his  gold  ;  sometimes  a  great  deal,  and  some- 
times little  or  none  ;  and  this,  it  is  said,  he 
does  to  prevent  -strangers  knowing  how  rich 
he  is,  and  that  he  may  live   in  peace." 

In  a  letter  to  the  Association  are  expressed 
his  undiminished  zeal  in  their  cause,  the  high 
motives  which  impelled  him  onward,  and  his 
utter  indifference  to  everything  but  the  success 
of  his  undertaking. 

"  Money!  it  is  a  vile  slave  !  1  have  at  pres- 
ent an  economy  of  a  more  exalted  kind  to 
observe.  I  have  the  eyes  of  some  of  the  first 
men  of  the  first  kingdom  on  earth  turned 
upon  me.  I  am  engaged,  by  those  very  men, 
ill  the  most  important  object  that  any  private 
individual  can  be  engaged  in.  I  have  their 
approbation  to  acquire  or  to  lose ;  and  their 
esteem,  also,  which  I  prize  beyond  everything, 
except  the  independent  idea  of  serving  man- 
kind.     Should    rashness    or   desperation    ca»-ry 


!  I 


■4 


^iPi 


i 


Ml 
it 


m 


412 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 


4 


(I! 


(fi 


^■. 


i: 


fife 


m 


me  through,  whatever  fame  the  vain  and  inju- 
dicious might  bestow,  I  should  not  accept  of 
it ;  it  is  the  good  and  great  I  look  to.  Fame 
bestowed  by  them  is  altogether  different,  and 
is  closely  allied  to  a  '  Well  done '  from  God. 
But  rashness  will  not  be  likely  to  carry  me 
through,  any  more  than  timid  caution.  To 
find  the  necessary  medium  of  conduct,  to  vary 
and  apply  it  to  contingencies,  is  the  economy 
I  allude  to ;  and  if  I  succeed  by  such  means, 
men  of  sense  in  any  succeeding  epoch  will  not 
blush  to  follow  me,  and  perfect  those  discov- 
eries which  I  have  only  abilities  to  trace  out 
roughly,  or  a  disposition  to  attempt.  A  Turk- 
ish sopha  has  no  charms  for  me  ;  if  it  had,  I 
could  soon  obtain  one  here.  Believe  me,  a 
single  '  Well  done  '  from  your  Association  has 
more  worth  in  it  to  me  than  all  the  trappings 
of  the  East ;  and  what  is  still  more  precious 
is,  the  pleasure  I  have  in  the  justification  of 
my  own  conduct  at  the  tribunal  of  my  own 
heart." 

On  the  15th  of  November  he  again  wrote 
to  Mr.  .Tsffersoi-v,  as  follows. 

"  This  is  my  third  letter  to  you  from  Egypt. 
I  should  certainly  write  to  the  Marquis  de  La- 
fayette, if  I  knew  where  to  find  him.  I  speak 
of  him  often  among  the  French  at  Cairo.  But 
if '  our  news  here,   with    respect   to   the   affairs 


JOHiN     LED  YARD. 


413 


gypt- 

La- 
speak 

But 
affairs 


of  France,  be  authentic,  he  would  hardly  find 
time  to  read  my  letter,  if  his  active  spirit  is 
employed  in  the  conilict  in  ])roporlion  to  its 
powers.  It  is  possible,  however,  that  my  com- 
pliments may  reach  him,  and  1  desire  it  may 
be  through  your  means.  Tell  liim  that  I  love 
him,  and  that  the  French  patriots  in  Cairo 
call  on  the  name  of  Suffrein  and  Lafayette, 
the  one  for  point-blank  honesty,  and  the  other 
as  the  soldier  and  the  courtier.  The  old  vet- 
eran in  finance  and  civil  economy,  Mr.  Necker, 
is  welcome  to  the  helm. 

'^  1  liave  now  been  in  Cairo  three  months, 
and  it  is  within  a  few  days  only  that  I  have 
had  any  certainty  of  being  able  to  proceed  in 
the  prosecution  of  my  voyage.  The  difficul- 
ties that  have  attended  me  have  occupied  me 
day  and  night.  I  should  otherwise  not  only 
have  written  to  you  oftener,  but  should  have 
given  you  some  little  history  of  what  1  have 
lieard  and  seen.  My  excuse  now  is,  that  I  am 
doing  up  my  ])aggage  for  my  journey,  and 
most  curious  baggage  it  is.  1  shall  leave 
Cairo  in  two  or  three  days. 

"  Perhaps  1  should  not  have  pleased  you,  if 
I  had  written  much  in  detail.  I  think  I  know 
your  taste  for  ancient  history ;  it  does  not 
comport  with  what  experience  teaches  me. 
The    enthusiastic     avidity     with    which     you 


.ill 


Jf!, 


414 


AMERICAN     BIOGKArHY 


search  for  treasures  in  Egypt,  and  I  suppose 
all  over  the  East,  ought  in  justice  to  the  world, 
and  your  own  generous  propensities,  to  he 
modified,  corrected,  and  abated.  I  should  have 
written  you  the  truth.  It  is  disagreeable  to 
hear  it,  when  habit  has  accustomed  one  to 
falsehood.  You  have  the  travels  of  Savary  in 
this  country.  Burn  them.  Without  entering 
into  a  discussion  that  would  be  too  long  for 
a  letter,  I  cannot  tell  you  why  I  think  most 
iiistorians  have  written  more  to  satisfy  them- 
selves than  to  benefit  others.  I  am  certainly 
very  angry  with  those,  who  have  written  of 
the  countries  where  I  have  travelled,  and  of 
this  particularly.  They  have  all  more  or  less 
deceived  me.  In  some  cases,  perhaps,  it  is 
difficult  to  determine  which  does  the  most 
mischief,  the  self-love  of  the  historian  or  the 
curiosity  of  the  reader;  but  both  together  have 
led  us  into  errors,  that  it  is  now  too  late  to 
rectify.  You  will  think  iiy  head  is  turned,  to 
write  you  such  a  letter  from  Egypt  ;  but  the 
reason  is,  I  do  not  intend  it  shall  be  turned. 
''  I  have  passed  my  time  disagreeably  here. 
Religion  does  more  mischief  in  Egypt  than  all 
other  things,  and  here  it  has  always  done  more 
than  in  most  other  places.  The  humiliating 
situation  of  a  Frank  would  be  insupportable 
to  me,  except  for  my  voyage.      It  is  a  shame 


JOHN     LEDYARD. 


415 


shame 


to  the  sons  of  Europe,  that  tliey  should  suffer 
such  arrogance  at  tlie  hands  of  a  banditti  of 
ignorant  fanatics.  I  assure  myself,  that  even 
your  curiosity  and  love  of  antiquity  would  not 
detain  you  in   Egypt  three  months. 

'•  From  Cairo  I  am  to  travel  south^vost  ab(»ut 
three  hundred  leagues  to  a  black  ki  ig.  Then 
my  present  conductors  will  leave  me  to  my 
fate.  Beyond,  I  suppose  I  shall  go  alone.  1 
expect  to  cut  the  continent  across  between  the 
parallels  of  twelve  and  twenty  degrees  of  north 
latitude.  If  possible,  I  shall  write  you  from 
the  kingdom  of  this  black  gentleman.  If  not, 
do  not  forget  me  in  the  interval  of  time 
which  niay  pass  during  my  voyage  from  thence 
to  Europe,  and  as  likely  to  France  as  any- 
where. I  shall  not  forget  you  ;  indeed,  it  will 
be  a  consolation  to  think  of  you  in  my  last 
moments.     Be  happy." 

This  is  the  last  letter  which  Ledyard  is 
known  to  have  written,  either  to  Mr.  Jefferson 
or  to  any  other  person.  He  wrote  to  the  sec- 
retary of  the  Association,  probably  by  the  same 
conveyance,  stating  that,  aftar  much  vexatious 
delay,  all  things  were  at  last  ready  for  his  de- 
parture, and  that  his  next  communication  might 
be  expected  from  Sennaar.  The  Aga  had 
given  him  letters  of  recommendation,  his  pas- 
sage was  engaged,   the  terms   settled,   and    the 


i 


ill 


m 


m 


m 


: 


416 


AMERICAN      LlOt.  UAFIIY, 


day  fixed,  on  wliich  the  caravan  wai>  to  leave 
Cairo.  He  wrote  in  good  spirits  and  apparent 
liealtli,  and  the  confidence  of  tlie  Association 
had  never  been  more  firm,  nor  tlieir  hopes 
more  saugnine,  than  at  this  junctnre.  Tlieir 
extreme  disappointment  may  well  be  imagined, 
therefore,  when  the  next  letters  from  Egypt 
brought  the  melancholy  intelligence  of  his 
ieath. 

During  his  residence  at  Cairo,  his  pursuits 
liad  made  it  necessary  for  him  to  be  much  ex- 
posed to  the  heat  of  the  sun,  and  to  r  'er 
deleterious  influences  of  the  climate,  a  o 
most  unfavorable  season  of  the  year.  The 
consequence  was  an  attack  of  a  bilious  com- 
plaint, which  he  thought  to  remove  by  the 
common  remedy  of  vitriolic  acid.  Whether 
this  was  admhiistered  by  himself,  or  by  some 
other  person,  is  not  related  ;  but  the  quantity 
taken  was  so  great  as  to  produce  violent  and 
burning  pains,  that  threatened  to  be  fatal,  un- 
less immediate  relief  could  be  procured.  This 
was  attempted  by  a  powerful  dose  of  tartar 
emetic.  But  all  was  in  vain.  The  best  med- 
ical skill  in  Cairo  was  called  to  his   aid  with- 


out 

effect 

t ;  and 

he  closed  his 

life  of 

vicissitude            1 

toil. 

at  the 

moment  when 

he  imagined  his            1 

severest  ( 

cares  were  over,  and 

the  prospects  be-           | 

fore 

him 

were 

more   tlaltering 

• 

than 

they  had 

JOHN     LEDYARD. 


417 


been  at  any  former  period.  He  was  decently 
interred,  and  all  suitable  respect  was  paid  to 
his  obsequies  by  such  friends  as  he  had  found 
among  the  European  residents  in  the  capital 
of  Egypt. 

The  precise  day  of  his  death  is  not  known, 
but  the  event  is  supposed  to  have  happened 
towards  the  end  of  November,  1788.  He  was 
then  in  the  thirty-eighth  year  of  his  age. 

So  much  has  been  drawn  from  the  travel- 
ler's own  writings  in  the  preceding  narrative, 
that  nothing  can  be  added  lo  make  the  reader 
better  acquainted  with  the  constitution  of  his 
mind,  the  qualities  of  his  heart,  or  the  charac- 
teristics of  his  genius.  Mr.  Beaufoy's  descrip- 
tion of  him  is  short,  but  discriminating,  and 
tne  more  worthy  of  regard  as  having  been 
founded  on  personal  knowledge. 

"  To  those  who.  have  never  seen  Mr.  Led- 
vard  it  may  not,  perhaps,  be  uninteresting  to 
ivuow,  that  his  person,  though  scarcely  exceed- 
ing the  middle  size,  was  remarkably  expressive 
of  activity  and  strength  ;  and  that  his  man- 
ners, though  unpolished,  were  neither  uncivil 
nor  unpleasing.  Little  attentive  to  diiference 
of  rank,  he  seemed  to  consider  all  men  as  his 
equals,  and  as  such  he  respected  them.  His 
genius,  though  uncultivated  and  irregular,  was 
original  and  comprehensive.  Ardent  in  his 
VOL.   XIV  27 


i 


ii'.iif 


418 


AMERICAN     PiOGKAPHY. 


wishes,  yet  calm  iu  his  deliberations ;  daring 
in  his  pufi^cses,  but  guarded  in  his  measures ; 
impatient  of  control,  yet  capable  of  strong  en- 
durance ;  adventurous  beyond  the  concppticu 
of  ordinary  men,  yet  wary  and  considerate,  and 
attentive  to  all  prec?5uticns,  he  appeared  to  be 
formed  by  Nature  for  achievements  of  hardi- 
hood and  peril." 

Mr.  Seymour,  who  knew  .him  intimately 
for  many  years,  has  described  his  person  as 
follows  ;  "  He  was  above  the  middle  stature  ; 
noi  tall  nor  corpulont ;  athletic,  firm,  and  ro- 
bust;  V  ith  light  eyes  and  hair,  aquiline  nose, 
broad  shoulders,  and  full  chest." 

His  letters  afford  convincing  proofs  of  his 
kind  and  amiable  disposition,  gratitude  to  his 
benefactors,  humanity,  and  disinterestedness. 
This  last  virtue,  indeed,  he  practised  to  au  ex 
cess.  No  man  ever  acted  .with  less  regard  to 
s(}lf,  or  ou  a  broader  scale  of  philanthropy  and 
general  good.  That  he  finally  accomplished 
little,  compared  with  the  magnitude  of  his  de- 
signs, was  his  misfortune,  but  not  his  fault. 
Had  he  been  less  eccentric,  however,  in  some 
of  his  peculiarities,  more  attentive  to  his  im- 
mediate interests,  more  regardful  of  the  force 
of  circumstances,  it  is  possible  that  his  efforts 
would  have  been  rewarded  with  better  success. 
The  acts  of   his    life    demand   notice    less   on 


and 


JOHN    LEDYaRD, 


410 


account  of  their  results,  than  of  the  spirit  with 
which  they  were  performed,  and  the  uncom- 
mon traits  of  character  which  prompted  to 
their  execution.  Such  instances  of  decision, 
energy,  perseverance,  fortitude,  and  enterprise, 
have  rarely  been  witnessed  in  the  same  indi- 
vidual ;  and,  in  the  exercise  of  these  high  at- 
tributes of  mind,  his  example  cannot  be  too 
much  adn  ired  or  imitated. 


>y 


if  his 

o  his 
iiess. 
u  ex 

ard  to 
aud 
ished 

Ills  de- 
fault, 
some 
is  tni- 
force 
efforts 
uccess. 

ess   on 


